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We Might As Well Win: On the Road to Success with the Mastermind Behind a Record-Setting Eight Tour de France Victories | 
 enlarge | Authors: Johan Bruyneel, Bill Strickland
Creator: Lance Armstrong
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Category: Book
List Price: $25.00
Buy New: $15.16
You Save: $9.84 (39%)
New (40) Used (13) from $13.45
Avg. Customer Rating:  22 reviews
Sales Rank: 4384
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.6 x 1
ISBN: 0618879374
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.620944
EAN: 9780618879373
Publication Date: June 4, 2008
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Product Description
On the tour and inside the mind of Johan Bruyneel, the winningest team leader in cycling history and the mastermind behind the success of the world's most celebrated champion, Lance Armstrong
Johan Bruyneel knows what it takes to win. In 1998, this calculating Belgian and former professional cyclist looked a struggling rider and cancer survivor in the eye and said, "Look, if we're going to ride the Tour, we might as well win." In that powerful phrase a dynasty was born. With Bruyneel as his team director, Lance Armstrong seized a record seven straight Tour de France victories. In the meantime, Bruyneel innovated the sport of cycling and went on to prove he could win without his superstar -- in 2007 he took the Tour de France title with a young new team and a lot of nerve, sealing his place in sports history forever.
We Might as Well Win takes readers behind the scenes of this amazing nine-year journey through the Alps and the Pyrenees, revealing a radical recipe for winning that readers can adapt from the bike to the boardroom to life. We witness Bruyneel's near-death crash and comeback as a rider. We are privy to the many ways he and Armstrong outsmarted their opponents. We listen in on the team's race radios to hear the secret strategies that inspire greatness from a disparate team. We learn how to make sure "not winning" isn't the same as "losing" as Bruyneel struggles to prove himself -- post-Armstrong -- with new riders, new strategies, and skeptics around every corner.
Whether mounting a difficult climb, or managing a team of thirty riders and forty support staff from a miniature car hurtling along narrow European roads, or looking a future legend in the eye and willing him to believe, Bruyneel is, and has always been, the consummate winner. Readers will relish this inside tour.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...
 Pleasantly Surprised June 1, 2008
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
I have been a cycling fan for years. I particularly love the goings on of the professional peloton. The riders, the back stories, and, especially, the tactics.
When I heard Johan Bruyneel was writing a book, I thought it would be more directed towards business professionals. A "how to get ahead" type mantra.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that that is not this book!
Johan Bruyneel writes a clean, well formed, clear picture of the professional peloton during his years as a rider, and then as DS for the US Postal and Discovery Channel Pro Cycling teams. In this book, you find that, as a rider, Johan was a looker. He kept a close eye on other riders in the peloton. He sized them up, if you will. In this book, Johan Bruyneel encapsulates what he "took in" while "checking out the scene", and candidly shares his findings with the reader.
He then explains why this is so important in the shaping of Lance Armstrong with specific race examples. The reader will understand that while, yes, luck does play a part in winning not only one Grand Tour, but 7 in a row, a well though out, meticulous game plan is the key to success.
This book takes you back to specific stages - specific climbs - and opens a window for you to see what actually was going on between Johan, Lance and the other 8 riders riding le Tour. It is like you were able to listen in on the race radio. Some pretty funny things are said on that radio!
You will find the meaning behind the thought "We Might As Well Win". You will also find that you can apply that to your own daily life - regardless of what you do.
Think Bobke, but more tactical, more precise.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I know Johan Bryuneel has hundreds, if not thousands more stories in his head. Should he ever decide to write them down, I will be one of many in line to get my copy.
So get your copy. Have a quick, easy read, and see if you knew what was really going on, say in the 1999 Tour de France Alpe d'Heuz stage. Was Armstrong spent? Was he giving it his all? Was he holding back? How much did he have left in his tank at the base of that climb?
Well, you will just have to read the book and find out.
What a book about cycling should be June 1, 2008
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
I was very pleasantly surprised reading Johan Bruyneel's book "We Might As Well Win". It could have been an indulgent, sloppy mess. Instead, it is a crisp, well-written, multi-layered, fun, and insightful book that provides equal parts insights into Lance, insights into Johan, insights into races, and insights into winning. Bruyneel's personal strengths are projected through the writing, including a gentleman's restraint and a willingness to look reality squarely in the face.
An excellent cycling book, definitely gets a podium spot on my bookshelf!
I loved this book! May 18, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
This book is a must read for anyone with even a remote interest in bicycle racing. The book is an incredible insight into the managerial genius of Johan Bruyneel who has led his teams to an incredible 8 wins out of the last 9 Tours de France. I found it fascinating to read the descriptions of his strategical and tactical approach to winning.
We learn about Bruyneel's early years as a pro bicycle racer and his stage victory in the Tour de France. The book also is a fascinating insight into the relationship between Johan and Lance Armstrong.
My only disappointment with the book is that after an incredibly quick read of 205 pages, I hated to finish the book - I wish there was more!
Thrilling writing describing Tour Victories June 5, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I really enjoyed this book. It went over a lot of information that Lance didn't cover in his books. Johan has a great ability to describe the racing and keep the reader anxious for the next parts. It had some good insights into winning in life. Excellent book!
Very pleasant read; especially during the month of July! July 12, 2008
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
As I married into a cycling family, I slowly learned quite a bit about cycling and the madness that is "Le Tour". I fell in love with the riders, their personalities, the traditions, and even Phil Liggett. I was very surprised to find that I really enjoyed Johan's autobiographical account of his winning ways. I knew that he was intelligent, but the man has to be near genius. He toots his own horn slightly but honestly and that can be appreciated. I definitely recommend reading this book. It provided great insight into the man with the plan and the director of the team that should have been in France this July!
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