The Secret Race

Inside the Hidden World of the Tour de France: Doping, Cover-ups, and Winning at All Costs

By: Tyler Hamilton, Daniel Coyle

Narrated by: Sean Runnette

Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

The Secret Race is a definitive look at the world of professional cycling—and the doping issue surrounding this sport and its most iconic rider, Lance Armstrong—by former Olympic gold medalist Tyler Hamilton and New York Times best-selling author Daniel Coyle.

Over the course of two years, Coyle conducted more than 200 hours of interviews with Hamilton and spoke candidly with numerous teammates, rivals, and friends. The result is an explosive book that takes us, for the first time, deep inside a shadowy, fascinating, and surreal world of unscrupulous doctors, anything-goes team directors, and athletes so relentlessly driven to succeed that they would do anything—and take any risk, physical, mental, or moral—to gain the edge they needed to win.

Tyler Hamilton was once one of the world’s best-liked and top-ranked cyclists—a fierce competitor renowned among his peers for his uncanny endurance and epic tolerance for pain. In the 2003 Tour de France, he finished fourth despite breaking his collarbone in the early stages—and grinding 11 of his teeth down to the nerves along the way. He started his career with the U.S. Postal Service team in the 1990s and quickly rose to become Lance Armstrong’s most trusted lieutenant and a member of his inner circle.

For the first three of Armstrong’s record seven Tour de France victories, Hamilton was by Armstrong’s side, clearing his way. But just weeks after Hamilton reached his own personal pinnacle—winning the gold medal at the 2004 Olympics—his career came to a sudden, ignominious end: He was found guilty of doping and exiled from the sport.

From the exhilaration of his early, naïve days in the peloton, Hamilton chronicles his ascent to the uppermost reaches of this unforgiving sport. In the mid-1990s, the advent of a powerful new blood-boosting drug called EPO reshaped the world of cycling, and a relentless, win-at-any-cost ethos took root. Its psychological toll would drive many of the sport’s top performers to substance abuse, depression, even suicide. For the first time ever, Hamilton recounts his own battle with clinical depression, speaks frankly about the agonizing choices that go along with the decision to compete at a world-class level, and tells the story of his complicated relationship with Lance Armstrong.

A journey into the heart of a never-before-seen world, The Secret Race is a riveting, courageous act of witness from a man who is as determined to reveal the hard truth about his sport as he once was to win the Tour de France.

©2012 Tyler Hamilton & Daniel Coyle (P)2012 Random House

Pleasantly surprised

What did you like best about this story?

Wow! So much explained. I believe every word of Tyler's and find myself feeling a little bad for him. Though you do have to pay the price for one own's mistakes.

Any additional comments?

I knew bits and pieces of some of these stories but I'm shocked at what I was hearing. This book came as a recommendation from the Velonews Podcast and I wasn't really excited to listen to it. Tyler does an amazing job explaining everything and I enjoyed it until the end. So much I recommended to my riding buddies.

A wild ride in a secret world

If you could sum up The Secret Race in three words, what would they be?

Touching, fascinating, thought-provoking

Who was your favorite character and why?

Tyler Hamilton His personal story took me a wild ride into a world I had no idea about. I truly appreciate his honest. I felt very sad for brilliant athletes like Tyler, a honest and naive cyclist drawn into doing things he didn't intend to do in order to stay in games, and sympathetic for him, a helpless athlete who has worked so hard but been bullied by the corrupted governing bodies and the high-power bullies like Lance Armstrong. I don't hate Lance as a doper (since now I understand why) but as a cruel and manipulative bully who squeezes everyone to help himself snatch victories and big money and dump whoever is good enough to challenge him or becomes no use for him. I am always a fan for athlete champions. Now I felt I had been cheated and at the same time couldn't help crying out for a fair culture and transparent system in the whole athletic world. In order to promote positive changes, we first have to understand why things are the way they are now.

Which scene was your favorite?

Tyler was manipulated to ride on the front only on "paniyagua" and had to apologize for not being able to keep up. Tyler lashed out to Lance Armstrong after finding out LA, such a f**king hypocrite, told UCI on him for doping.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Winning is everything

Any additional comments?

I would love to see a film made based on this book. As I was listening, I just constantly imagined how cool it would to watch the movie. It also would make a wider population understand the modern cycling or athletic world and an elite athlete's hard and difficult life.

All are guilty

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

It shows that all of the cyclist were guilty - not just a lance conspiracy. I think the reader tried too hard to make Tyler sound boyish, which made it annoying at times (maybe an attempt to add innocence to Tyler). Tyler also tried too hard to separate himself from Lance, who, though a true narcissist, was not very different than Tyler in many respects (only a lot better).

Didn't think I was going to like it.I loved it!

I was hesitant to buy the book since I saw Hamilton's interview on 60 minutes and dismissed him as a liar. I wanted to believe that Armstrong was clean, especially after reading his books. Armstrong was my hero. I know have a new hero. Tyler Hamilton's courage to open up about his doping is one of the most courageous acts I have known. To face his sins and break from of them takes a strength that few men(or women) can truly claim. Since listening to his book, I have found a new courage to do what is right no matter what the consequence. I only hope I can follow through the way he did. Thank you Tyler. I haven't lost a hero. I gained a better one.

World Tour cycling needs more "Tyler Hamiltons"

Thoroughly captivating & insightful. Foundational must for any assessment of elite cycling. A must read for ANY and EVERY fan or participant in the sport. It's tremendously sad that Tyler is persona non grata, he deserves as much respect as any of the esteemed figures of cycling.

The Backstory

I've watched the Tour deFrance for over 20 years, but never heard the true story about how the blood doping was done. This tells all, in and interesting way that kept me awake on a long road trip.

If you are interested in the Tour, and the scandals, this is a great book.

Escalofriante

Muy buen recuento de los hechos ocurridos en el ciclismo de elite de principios del 2000, Tyler Hamilton cuenta con detalles las causas, procedimientos y consecuencias que tuvo su incursión en el mundo del doping.

A must-read book for cycling fans

Great book and audio performance. Very enlightening story about the dark world of doping that’s pervasive in professional cycling. The governing organizations in pro sports need to do more to stop doping activity.

Tyler sounds like a good guy that made some bad decisions. I’m grateful that he shared his story.

Lance Armstrong is a sociopathic creep. His toxic cocktail of extreme lying and bullying reminds me of Trump. Very destructive people.

Great book so glad i bought it

I’m a big fan of the tour de France and reading up on what’s going on and this book opened my eyes so much it really changed my view on so many things. And Tyler i thought this book was great I listened to it while traveling the guy who helped make this happen did a great job. I really enjoyed following along with your journey. Thanks

Incredible story and remarkable narration

story is riveting, and highly informative. I would listen to just what anything this narrator, Sean Runnette, would read. Amazing