Seven Deadly Sins

THE SUNDAY TIMES SPORTS BOOK AWARDS BOOK OF THE CENTURYSHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEARMADE INTO THE FILM, THE PROGRAM, STARRING BEN FOSTER AND CHRIS O'DOWD AS THE AUTHORThe true story of the greatest deception of our time. From award-winning journalist David Walsh, the definitive account of the author’s twelve-year quest to uncover and make known the truth about Lance Armstrong’s long history of performance-enhancing drug use, which ultimately led to the cyclist’s being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles.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 long battle to reveal the truth that finally ended in October 2012 when the cyclist was 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. 

David Walsh is chief sportswriter for the Sunday Times and has won the UK Sportswriter of the Year title four times. For more than 12 years, he pursued the Lance Armstrong story, and wrote Seven Deadly Sins about it; the book was named Sports Book of the Century by the Sunday Times Sports Book Awards and turned into the film, The Program. Married with seven children, he lives in Newmarket. His latest book is The Russian Affair, about the Russian doping scandal.