Breaking the Chain: Drugs and Cycling: The True Story (Yellow Jersey Cycling Classics)

I read this book while recovering from a broken hip. I spent the previous 3 weeks reading Tyler Hamilton's, Lance Armstrong, Paul Kimmage, Floyd Landis,David Millar (Best one By Far) and one other guy I cant even remember. This was the final one, though poorly written I wanted to hear his first person account just because I had read so many others written from a riders perspective. What an era. I wouldnt recommend this book unless you are like me and want all sides of a situation. It is a poor read but when you are stuck in your bed or couch for a month.....Its sad how crappy things got.

This book is okay, its just not what I was expecting. I have read a number of other books about drugs in cycling and this one does confirm the history. The author left out some names and left us hanging at the end, which is a shame. I believe the book was produced in 1999 (not too sure if this correct) and therefore the author may have been very cautious in shaming the history of cycling at the time.

The level of drug taking in professional cycling has the "trunk" finally opened on the teams "medical programs". I have some sympathy for Voet about being handled roughly by the police but, sure, he knew exactly what was going on since he was part of the "unspoken alliance" between riders and teams about drug use in the Tour and other races in Europe. He was being played as the scapegoat for the Festina's Team upper bosses but finally got some help when Director and Doctor confessed. Unfortunately, after a long career in cycling he is still blacklisted from the sport. For all of the recreational cyclists and fans who think their idols are superhuman, take a deeper look into the long and dark side of PED's in bike racing.

Brilliant confessional bio on the beginnings of doping in the modern era and the partWilly Voet played in such activity as soigneur of the Festina Tour de France team in 1998.That was the year the Tour started in Ireland and Willy's car, loaded with the team's doping supplies,was intercepted on his way to the ferry to Dublin. He was arrested and the peloton itselfwas later ambushed buy the French Police when they landed in France. I recall over half theriders protesting by dropping their bikes and staging a sit-down on the road. But the game was up,for the Festina team at least.This book is so detailed on the methods of doping, EPO, transfusions etc used, the names of someof the main players involved, I'm amazed that when it was published (2001) it didn't bringthe whole show down at that time......As we know, lance Armstrong went on to win a further 5 tours,all using EPO/transfusions etc....The UCI certainly have a lot to answer for.My guess is that this isn't the work of a 100% contrite man......just one who had an axe to grind and hedoes so in great style. Very informative, and I followed it up by 'Secret Race' by Tyler Hamilton, anotherconfessional bio and a brilliantly detailed account of the doping process and how the users were alwaysone step ahead of the testers.

For the real deal on what has been going down, read what Willy Voet has to say about 1998 - The real villains continue to manage the sport while the victims (cyclists, admittedly not innocent) pay for their ongoing gravy train with reasonable probability today, as then.Read David Millar's "Racing Through The Dark" or Tyler Hamilton's "The Secret Race" for more up to date revelations.Voet however has the definitive statement on the harm that has been done to the sport

Book was a bit short. And maybe he could have reveled more names. I understand when a rider has not been popped you don't want to start listing names but we all want to know them, right? Cycling will never been clean (or any sport for that matter) if we just hush-hush the old times.

This is a must-read for anyone interested in learning more about the degree to which doping pervaded cycling, particularly in the mid~late 90's. It is a short read that is eye-opening, entertaining at times, and not a little bit disturbing too.

Not a great literary work, but authentic. Fascinating if you're interested in the context of the Lance era, which was the European pro scene before his arrival. Doping was routine for most pros, with only the occasional standout.

Apparently at the time this book was written Lance Armstrong said, "Willy Voet is full of ****!"; he went on to say that as long as Willy did not identify him he would not pursue him. Willy seems careful not to name too many names.This book gives an insight into the notorious 'Festina Affair' where an unknown masseur was caught trying to cross the border with a car load of performance enhancing drugs. Presumably the team thought they could claim that this masseur was working for himself. This is the story written by the masseur. I wanted to read this book because it was written by one of the little guys. I think history has found that he was not working for himself and the team were comprehensively disgraced. Afterwards the sport tried to clean up, only to find that the riders had moved on to a more sophisticated regime...It does come across as a bitter man pulling the standard 'playground' defence that others did it as well! He makes no secret of the fact that he was happy to take some 'Belgian Mix', a potent cocktail of illegal drugs, better that than falling asleep at the wheel and crashing into a tree he says! So Lance was sort of correct!Certainly an interesting insight into sport and performance enhancing drugs that I enjoyed reading. As for Lance, well history has shown that Willy was not the only one full of it!

This book explains how PEDs riddled cycling is in the 90s, from drugs like the Belgium Mix which contains Heroin to HGH, EPO and Insulin. The PEDS can only have got better and more undetectable. A must read for anyone who wants to understand the truth behind professional and amateur cycling.

On first inspection I was disappointed by this book. Only 120 pages? It looked more like a flyer. However, I soon realised that there is no filler or boring sections to flick through. It's a first hand account of massive doping and drug taking by the Festina Team, among others, competing at the very highest level of cycling. The cat and mouse game between dopers and testers is fascinating, as are the methods employed to beat the tests. What's shocking is how long it's been going on ; Voet started using amphetamines in cycling in 1968. The highly organised web of soigneurs and doctors caused me to start questioning other sports namely football, where the financial gains are much larger. One word of caution: if you believe any of the current top riders are clean this book may plant a small seed of doubt in your mind!

Well what you see is what you get. The intricacies of the deep dark world of cycle racing and drug taking cyclists. It is actually quite frightening to learn of the lengths that some of the racers went through in order to win at all costs. Deadly and damaging to the human body. I think it would be much better if all cyclists rode clean and did not rely on drugs to perform fantastic feats of strength etc. I can't see how several riders weren't discovered sooner !!

For those whom have never heard of Willy Voet, he was the soigneur caught with a boot load of drugs. His memories of his time in professional cycling and the seedy underbelly of doping is laid bare for all to see. The surprising ease of which drugs can be taken and are soon untraceable means that no professional sport is devoid of this problem and this unique insite will pull the wool from your eyes.