Few champions have astonished the world as much as Lance Armstrong.

A cancer survivor who went on to win the Tour de France an unprecedented seven times, he is an inspiration to millions. Now the full story can be told.

With complete access to Armstrong, and to his inner circle, and drawing on interviews with family members and training partners, coaches and celebrities, team-mates and rivals, friends and foes, sportswriter John Wilcockson tells of those who helped Armstrong along the way -- including his mother Linda, his ex-wife Kristin and one-time fiancee Sheryl Crow -- and explores the traits of character that made Armstrong unique.

The story of Lance Armstrong is one of brutal, painful effort, of natural brilliance, of relentless ambition, of extraordinary glory. His achievement is all the more stunning for its unconventionality: a boy from small-town America who beat the world. Brash and fiercely competitive, Armstrong has never been without close friends or bitter enemies. His achievements have been dogged by accusations of doping, accusations of secrecy, and by questions about how triumph on such a grand scale could be possible - questions that are addressed head on in this book.

Tracing the highs and lows, and bringing alive the drama of the races in which Armstrong smashed expectations time after time, this book gives the complete story of a matchless champion.