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Cycle of Lies

The Fall of Lance Armstrong

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Cycle of Lies

By: Juliet Macur
Narrated by: Carrington MacDuffie
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A fly-on-the-wall account of the Lance Armstrong doping scandal – the greatest drama in modern sporting history by the New York Times cycling correspondent.

As Lance Armstrong’s precipitous fall from grace continues, New York Times sports reporter Juliet Macur takes the reader behind the scenes to bring you the astonishing twists and turns of an outrage that has rocked the world of cycling.

With unprecedented access to the key players in the drama – from Armstrong’s fellow cyclists and top cycling officials to doctors, trainers and wives – ‘Cycle of Lies’ reveals how Armstrong built a fortress of people around him to protect his image and upend the lives of anybody who stood in his way.

As America’s fallen idol faces potential perjury charges, ‘Cycle of Lies’ widens the focus to expose corruption at all levels of the sport in a thrilling work of contemporary narrative history.

 Americas Cycling Sports True Crime United States Exciting Triathlon
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Critic reviews

‘Riveting … Why did he do it?” is clearly the first question begging for an answer. And “How did he get away with it for so long?” is another. Macur investigates both exhaustively and the result is a tale right out of ancient Greece – the demi-god with the fatal flaw’ Toronto Star
‘Macur is a fine writer and a tireless reporter’ Observer
‘Her well-researched book pays testimony to the determination of a large group of people, those used and cast aside by Armstrong, who found the courage to stand up to the bully … That he was still arrogant enough to try to get her to change the title of ‘Cycle of Lies’ speaks volumes for his self-centred nature and Macur’s determination as a journalist to stick with what she believed to be the truth’ Eastern Daily Press
‘Macur offers plenty that is new and is capable of holding your interest … Compared with the other recent Armstrong books – ‘The Secret Race’, ‘Seven Deadly Sins’ and ‘Wheelmen’ – ‘Cycle of Lies’ is the one to read if you want the whole story nailed in a clear and concise narrative … But it is also a book that can be quite subtle at times and contains moments of beauty … a rewarding read’ Podium Cafe
All stars
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An interesting look into Lance Armstrong and the whole scandal. Maybe a little too biased against Armstrong but definitely interesting tale

Interesting

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Brilliant audio book, so interesting listening to someone on the opposite side from Lance Armstrong. someone who can't see the wrong/harm that's been caused. and totally oblivious to the man hunt.

Brilliant

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There's little that's new here - much of Lance Armstrong's 'antics' have been well documented and what this book does is put everything together into a relatively cohesive structure.

Sometimes the order seems a bit off, jumping back and forth in the other cyclist's chapters, for instance Floyd Landis, but it generally holds together well.

It's not as personal as David Walsh's book, which leaves it up to the reader/listener to decide if that's a good or bad thing. For me, at times, it felt as if Juliet was listing things that happened, as opposed to explaining how she was involved in asking certain questions. David Walsh's version perhaps veers too far the other way but each book has its own merits (though I suspect Walsh himself would be surprised to hear himself called an "English" journalist - he's most definitely Irish).

All in all, if you've decided to buy this, you likely already know what you're getting - a dossier chronicling Lance Armstrong's years of cheating. Everything publicly known is there and, for that, it does what it should do.

As you'd expect

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This was a forensically researched, brilliantly incisive, compulsive story. I’m going to listen to it again. It’s goes further than most books about sports and cheating, delving into the backstories and psychology of the protagonists. It’s balanced - which makes the ultimate conclusions so much more dark and impactful. Very well done to the author and the reader. Thank you. Cannot recommend highly enough.

Excellent book for anyone interested in cycling

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Covers the full story, taking time to explain everything. Highly recommended to anyone with even a basic interest in the Armstrong story

Covers all bases

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