Johan Bruyneel at Harry W. Schwartz

Johan Bruyneel • author of We Might as Well Win
Thursday, June 19 • 7 p.m. talk
Harry W. Schwartz Bookshop • 2559 N. Downer Ave.
(414) 332-1181

Go on the tour and inside the mind of Johan Bruyneel,
the winningest team director in cycling history and the
mastermind behind the success of Lance Armstrong. In 1998, the
former pro-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 you behind the scenes of the nine-year
journey through the Pyrenees and reveals a recipe for winning that you can adapt from the
bike, to the boardroom, to life. Bruyneel shows that not winning isn’t always losing as
he struggles to prove himself post-Armstrong with new riders, new strategies and skeptics
around every corner. Whether mounting a difficult climb, managing a team of thirty
riders, or looking a future legend in the eye, Bruyneel has always been the consummate
winner. Johan Bruyneel is a former professional cyclist and was the team directgor from
1999 through 2007 for the U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team, which later became the
Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team. In that role, he won a record eight straight Tour de
France victories—in nine years’ time—making him the winningest tam director in the
history of the sport. He was born in Belgium.