The Secret Race

Inside the Hidden World of the Tour de France

Tyler Hamilton, Daniel Coyle | 4.53 | 16,064 ratings and reviews

Recommended by Dan Stemkoski, and 1 others. See all reviews

Ranked #1 in Cycling, Ranked #85 in Sports

“The holy grail for disillusioned cycling fans . . . The book’s power is in the collective details, all strung together in a story that is told with such clear-eyed conviction that you never doubt its veracity. . . . The Secret Race isn’t just a game changer for the Lance Armstrong myth. It’s the game ender.”—Outside

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD

The Secret Race is the book that rocked the world of professional cycling—and exposed, at long last, the doping culture surrounding the sport and its most iconic rider, Lance Armstrong. Former Olympic gold medalist Tyler Hamilton was once one of the world’s top-ranked cyclists—and a member of Lance Armstrong’s inner circle. Over the course of two years, New York Times bestselling author Daniel Coyle conducted more than two hundred hours of interviews with Hamilton and spoke with numerous teammates, rivals, and friends. The result is an explosive page-turner of a book that takes us deep inside a shadowy, fascinating, and surreal world of unscrupulous doctors, anything-goes team directors, and athletes so relentlessly driven to win that they would do almost anything to gain an edge. For the first time, Hamilton recounts his own battle with depression and tells the story of his complicated relationship with Lance Armstrong. This edition features a new Afterword, in which the authors reflect on the developments within the sport, and involving Armstrong, over the past year. The Secret Race is a courageous, groundbreaking 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.

With a new Afterword by the authors

“Loaded with bombshells and revelations.”—VeloNews

“[An] often harrowing story . . . the broadest, most accessible look at cycling’s drug problems to date.”—The New York Times

“ ‘If I cheated, how did I get away with it?’ That question, posed to SI by Lance Armstrong five years ago, has never been answered more definitively than it is in Tyler Hamilton’s new book.”—Sports Illustrated

“Explosive.”—The Daily Telegraph (London) less

Buy on Amazon

Reviews and Recommendations

We've comprehensively compiled reviews of The Secret Race from the world's leading experts.

Dan Stemkoski Just finished “The Secret Race” by @Ty_Hamilton + Daniel Coyle, knowing only the bare minimum about professional bike racing and the scandals of the past. Just an awesome and amazing book. Couldn’t put it down. (Source)

Similar Books

If you like The Secret Race, check out these similar top-rated books:

Learn: What makes Shortform summaries the best in the world?

Learn More