Dan Stemkoski

The Secret Race is a definitive look at the world of professional cycling—and the doping issue surrounding this sport and its most iconic rider, Lance Armstrong—by former Olympic gold medalist Tyler Hamilton and New York Times bestselling author Daniel Coyle.   Over the course of two years, Coyle conducted more than two hundred hours of interviews with Hamilton and spoke candidly with numerous teammates, rivals, and friends. The result is an explosive book that takes us, for the first time, deep inside a shadowy, fascinating, and surreal world of unscrupulous doctors, anything-goes team directors, and athletes so relentlessly driven to succeed that they would do anything—and take any risk, physical, mental, or moral—to gain the edge they need to win.   Tyler Hamilton was once one of the world’s best-liked and top-ranked cyclists—a fierce competitor renowned among his peers for his uncanny endurance and epic tolerance for pain. In the 2003 Tour de France, he finished fourth despite breaking his collarbone in the early stages—and grinding eleven of his teeth down to the nerves along the way. He started his career with the U.S. Postal Service team in the 1990s and quickly rose to become Lance Armstrong’s most trusted lieutenant, and a member of his inner circle. For the first three of Armstrong’s record seven Tour de France victories, Hamilton was by Armstrong’s side, clearing his way. But just weeks after Hamilton reached his own personal pinnacle—winning the gold medal at the 2004 Olympics—his career came to a sudden, ignominious end: He was found guilty of doping and exiled from the sport.   From the exhilaration of his early, naïve days in the peloton, Hamilton chronicles his ascent to the uppermost reaches of this unforgiving sport. In the mid-1990s, the advent of a powerful new blood-boosting drug called EPO reshaped the world of cycling, and a relentless, win-at-any-cost ethos took root. Its psychological toll would drive many of the sport’s top performers to substance abuse, depression, even suicide. For the first time ever, Hamilton recounts his own battle with clinical depression, speaks frankly about the agonizing choices that go along with the decision to compete at a world-class level, and tells the story of his complicated relationship with Lance Armstrong.   A journey into the heart of a never-before-seen world, The Secret Race is a riveting, courageous 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.

Discover the secrets to mastering anything in 6 months or less with The 4-Hour Chef. This choose-your-own-adventure guide takes you on a journey from Manhattan to Calcutta, unearthing the secrets of the world's fastest learners and greatest chefs. Author Tim Ferriss uses cooking to explain the step-by-step process of "meta-learning," which can be applied to anything from cooking to basketball. Featuring tips and tricks from experts in various fields, this cookbook is a guide to mastering both cooking and life. Journey through the art and science of learning with the five-stop journey of META, DOM, WILD, SCI, and PRO.

¿En qué consiste la excelencia? ¿Puede cualquiera llegar a ser el mejor en aquello que emprenda o acaso la genialidad está reservada a unos pocos superdotados? Figura pública desde que a los nueve años ganara su primer campeonato de ajedrez y catapultado a la fama cuando el libro de su padre, Buscando a Bobby Fisher, fue convertido en un filme de éxito, Josh Waitzkin sabe lo que significa llegar a lo más alto. El apasionante testimonio de sus años como campeón de ajedrez primero y de Tai-Chi después, no deja lugar a la excelencia es un proceso al alcance de todos? si descubrimos la esencia del verdadero aprendizaje. Con ejemplos procedentes de todo tipo de disciplinas, Waitzkin comparte con sus lectores los hallazgos que ha ido atesorando a lo largo de años de concentración y un camino de autoconocimiento que guiará a cualquiera dispuesto a dar lo mejor de sí mismo, ya sea en el trabajo o en cualquier otra disciplina.

This inspiring book explores how the mind can influence an athlete's performance just as much as physical skill. With lessons and anecdotes from prominent athletes, you'll learn techniques and exercises to build mental "muscle" and gain the "head edge" over the competition. Don't miss out on this must-read for any athlete or sports fan.

Muchas veces somos nuestro peor enemigo. No es el adversario externo el que nos derrota sino nuestras propias dudas, nuestro propio miedo y nuestra falta de concentración. El Juego Interior del Tenis nos muestra la forma de superar estos obstáculos y de lograr un óptimo desempeño. Este libro está basado en el tenis, pero sus principios pueden aplicarse a cualquier tipo de actividad. Si practicas el tenis te enseñará a mejorar tu juego, a aprender con más rapidez y eficacia y a confiar más en la sabiduría natural de tu cuerpo. Si no lo practicas, te ayudará a desarrollar ciertas habilidades que te servirán para tener éxito en cualquier tipo de juego o en cualquier campo de actividad. Tim Gallwey es uno de los pioneros de la psicología deportiva. Fue jugador profesional de tenis y profesor de ese deporte. La presente obra ha sido un gran éxito internacional, con más de un millón de ejemplares vendidos.

January 1977. While the chief of the CIA's Moscow station fills his gas tank, a stranger drops a note into the car. In the years that follow, that stranger, Adolf Tolkachev. becomes one of the West's most valuable spies. At enormous risk, Tolachev and his handlers conduct clandestine meetings across Moscow, using spy cameras, disguises, and secret codes to elude the KGB in its own backyard - until a shocking betrayal puts them all at risk. Drawing on previously classified CIA documents and interviews with first-hand participants, 'The Billion Dollar Spy is a brilliant feat of reporting and a riveting true story from the final years of the Cold War. "Non-fiction as rich and resonant as a spy novel by John Le Carre or Graham Greene." - Mail on Sunday "An astonishingly detailed picture of espionage in the 1980s, written with pacey journalistic verve and an early contemporary feel." - Brian Macintyre, The Times