When Lance Armstrong fought back from life-threatening cancer to win the 1999 Tour de France - the so-called 'Tour of Renewal' - it seemed almost too good to be true. It was. Sunday Times journalist David Walsh was one of a small group who was prepared to raise awkward questions about Armstrong's seemingly superhuman feats. And so began a 13-year battle to reveal the truth that finally ended in October 2012 when the cyclist was stripped of his seven Tour victories and banned from the sport for life. Walsh's gripping and moving personal account of his struggles is a revealing insight into the murkier end of professional cycling - a place where having the right doctor can make all the difference and where there existed a conspiracy of silence. As he shows, it never was about the bike. However, spurred on by a few brave people who were prepared to speak out in the hope of saving the sport they loved, Walsh continued to probe, and eventually he was vindicated when Armstrong's reputation was ruined. In this updated edition, covering Armstrong's confession to Oprah, Seven Deadly Sins takes the reader into a world of doping and lies, but shows that there is always hope for a better future.
Seven Deadly Sins: My Pursuit of Lance Armstrong
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'Fascinating...a gripping tale of one man's determination' --Sunday Mirror
'One of the most powerful sports books ever written...a must-read for anyone with an interest in modern sport' --sportsbookofthemonth.com
'The best sports books are not about sport. They are about life, about people… this year's William Hill award underlines the great variety of approaches that modern sports writing can take… [such as] the revelatory investigation of David Walsh's pursuit of Lance Armstrong… the overall calibre of what gets published [in sports writing] has improved immensely' --Sport
'Not so much a valuable as an essential book for anyone interested in Armstrong, bike racing or doping' --New Statesman
'One of the most powerful sports books ever written...a must-read for anyone with an interest in modern sport' --sportsbookofthemonth.com
'The best sports books are not about sport. They are about life, about people… this year's William Hill award underlines the great variety of approaches that modern sports writing can take… [such as] the revelatory investigation of David Walsh's pursuit of Lance Armstrong… the overall calibre of what gets published [in sports writing] has improved immensely' --Sport
'Not so much a valuable as an essential book for anyone interested in Armstrong, bike racing or doping' --New Statesman
About the Author
David Walsh is chief sportswriter for the Sunday Times and has won the UK Sportswriter of the Year title three times. For more than 13 years, he has been pursuing the Lance Armstrong story, and has written two previous books on the subject, LA Confidential and From Lance to Landis. Married with seven children, he lives in Cambridge.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
49 of 50 people found the following review helpful
By Big Jim
TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
The subtitle says it all really. Bordering if not actually attaining obsession, David Walsh, with others duly credited, has made it his goal over the past decade and more to expose Lance Armstrong and other cyclists as the dopers they have subsequently turned out to be. With the recent revelations now out in the open it would be easy for Walsh to adopt an "I told you so" attitude which to be fair I don't think he does in this book. Sure there is a great sense of vindication throughout but the story is told in a refreshingly candid way, personal foibles are reported there are lots of conversations described, good humour abounds, even amongst the frustration and anger, and all in all it is a very engaging read. It's not all about the bike either (sorry couldn't resist) It would appear that Irish swimmer Michele Smith amongst others being exposed as a drugs cheat played a large part in driving Walsh to expose other dopers and he has had a mixed reception amongst the cycling community in Ireland because of his work. There are numerous auto-biographical details as well, from personal tragedies to how his investigations affected his family and friends. This aspect does add a good dose of reality away from the peleton and makes the book more personal rather than an outright piece of journalism. One caveat I have to report is that I haven't actually read "From Lance to Landis" so can't say if there is a lot of repetition or not, there are some bits of journalism which are familiar to me though but it is not a straight regurgitation of these. Even so this is a fine piece of work, an incredible story excellently told.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By Janie P
Format:Hardcover
In these days when we have good cause to think that a lot of British journalism has behaved in a despicable fashion, it's cheering to read the account of a journalist who doggedly stuck to his guns for over a decade. David Walsh was a lone voice, he was marginalised, but he was proved right. He has done the world a great service.
It's a cracking read and an incredible story.
It's a cracking read and an incredible story.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By I M Brown
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have avoided reading David Walsh's book until now with the misguided and faint hope that maybe, just maybe, LA was clean and the fairy tale was true.
Nope. Fabulous journalism. DW is one amongst a few, and a credit to his profession.
His family ought to be incredibly proud of him. Thank you for not giving up.
Nope. Fabulous journalism. DW is one amongst a few, and a credit to his profession.
His family ought to be incredibly proud of him. Thank you for not giving up.
19 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By Goldfishpete
Format:Hardcover
Having been reading cycling books for some years, I have already read David Walsh's book "From Lance to Landis" and it was this that really made me doubt that Lance had ridden clean.
With the recent revelations and Tyler Hamilton's book - which I consider to be a GREAT read - I was expecting the new book by David Walsh to be something bigger and better than I had read by him before
Unfortunately having just re-read his other book recently I was almost questioning as to whether I had accidentally picked it up again instead of "7 Deadly Sins". It goes over almost all of the points in the other book in about the same sort of length and then when I was getting near the end of the book wondering what the difference was, I found out. There are a few brief notes about recent disclosures, work by the USADA and that's about it.
If you haven't read "From Lance to Landis" save your money and buy this one
It IS well written, it gives a GREAT insight into the people who were affected by Lance throughout his career and I think that anyone interested in that era of cycling will love it
The only reason I marked it down was that so much of it was a rehash - admittedly with a few bits added - of his previous book I felt a bit cheated.
With the recent revelations and Tyler Hamilton's book - which I consider to be a GREAT read - I was expecting the new book by David Walsh to be something bigger and better than I had read by him before
Unfortunately having just re-read his other book recently I was almost questioning as to whether I had accidentally picked it up again instead of "7 Deadly Sins". It goes over almost all of the points in the other book in about the same sort of length and then when I was getting near the end of the book wondering what the difference was, I found out. There are a few brief notes about recent disclosures, work by the USADA and that's about it.
If you haven't read "From Lance to Landis" save your money and buy this one
It IS well written, it gives a GREAT insight into the people who were affected by Lance throughout his career and I think that anyone interested in that era of cycling will love it
The only reason I marked it down was that so much of it was a rehash - admittedly with a few bits added - of his previous book I felt a bit cheated.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Poolmonkey
Format:Kindle Edition
Chapeau to David Walsh - the best book I`ve read in a long while. I just couldn`t put it down, the descriptions of how Armstrong manipulated and lied through all those years despite mounting evidence is just astounding and quite frankly shocking. I must admit I`m a lot more sceptical while watching cycling after reading this book.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Shell
Format:Paperback
I have just finished this book on holiday. I have read many books on Lance Armstrong including Lance Armstrongs War and the recent book by Tyler Hamilton/ Daniel Coyle that exposed all the wrong doings. Although I knew a lot of the detail this book gave fascinating insights to what David Walsh went through and was a very easy read. Almost had a divorce from not being able to put it down and reading until the early hours.
16 of 19 people found the following review helpful
By Dylan
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Having been one of Armstrong's most ardent supporters, I could not wait to read this book. I had followed his career since at least 1999, travelling to to see him in the 2005 TDF. I had read all his books, and the books written about him. I had used him as a role-model for cancer patients. I had photographs that I had taken of him up in our kitchen. I had spoken about his natural talent as a teenage triathlete. It was against this backround that I read this book. Unfortunately, I had not read any of Mr David Walsh's book before, largely because I, like millions of others, believed in Armstrong's version of events. Having been sickened after reading the USADA's Reasoned Decision in its entirety, I subsequently removed those photos from my kitchen, having to explain to my young boys why this was the case. I was left with a feeling of embarassment as well, thinking about the fact that I had used this man as a role model for those undergoing cancer treatment. David Walsh's books was meant to re-affirm my final judgement on Armstrong - that it did! Although the book does not provide me with a lot of new information, it certainly tells the story of how this information was obtained, by 13 years of patience and effort, in the face of hostility and abuse from many quarters. Mr Walsh's integrity and determination is to be admired! It is also great to learn a bit about the man himself, rather than rely on Armstrong's version of him. I can understand why Mr Walsh would have wanted to have this book published in a hurry, but I think that this, unfortunately, has affected its quality. The presentation is at times poor, containing quite a few typographical errors such as the wrong words or repeated words, and third party narrative not being presented in a clear enough format. Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
incredibly dogged persistence
David Walsh's book reads like an exercise in persistence and in constantly searching for the truth when all and sundry were happy with the Legend of Lance. Read more
Published 5 days ago by anonymous
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great read for any cycling enthusiast or anyone interested in truth...
David Walsh's account of persuing truth and having justice seen to be done is a fascinating and compelling read. Read more
Published 11 days ago by mcmenamb
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent
Fantastic read. David Walsh is a great journalist and he has to be admired for his work on lance Armstrong. Read more
Published 18 days ago by Conor
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting
I read Lance Armstrong's book, which was gripping, of course it was all a lie, very disappointing.
So after an interview on Channel four Racing, I purchased this book, the... Read more
So after an interview on Channel four Racing, I purchased this book, the... Read more
Published 29 days ago by Ms. Josephine Allan
5.0 out of 5 stars
A good read
Excellent read that shows the lengths some will go to to cheat and cover up their cheating irrespective of the damage done to others in the process
Published 1 month ago by Ian Bone
5.0 out of 5 stars
A good read and a good story.
For many, like me, who wondered from afar about the Lance Armstrong story this is a great read from the inside. Read more
Published 1 month ago by FIONA COX
4.0 out of 5 stars
Seven Deadly Sins: My Pursuit of Lance Armstrong
I bought 2 copies of this for cycling members of the family They thought it was a real eye opener
Published 1 month ago by rosie featherstone
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting subject - biased and sometimes unfocused execution
I was given this book as a present and, despite not being a huge cycling enthusiast, was interested to read about the rise and fall of Mr Armstrong. Read more
Published 1 month ago by thestath
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not easy Reading
I love cycling and Lance was one of my heroes. After reading this book David and his fellow journos have earned a grudging respect for uncovering this fraud and someone who (not... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Fireball 61
4.0 out of 5 stars
depressing but fascinating
Fascinating read, but depressing to think that the sport I have loved for over 50 years is still likely to be contaminated by even more sophisticated doping. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Roy Robinson
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