09 Jan 2021 19:03:30
Evening eds1
With there being 9 days until our next game is there any good articles that your writing to keep us going mate?

{Ed001's Note - I am just finishing up a Champ Man legends article now, for tomorrow as there is not enough news for a news round up to be worthwhile. I have just started (at long last) writing up one on Sugar Ray Leonard, a sporting villains one on Lance Armstrong, one on the Tyson/Douglas fight and a few other bits and pieces that will probably be finished before those as they have less to write about.}

09 Jan 2021 19:22:33
Brilliant looking forward to them 👌🏻👌🏻.

{Ed001's Note - I hope they live up to expectation then!}

09 Jan 2021 20:25:42
As a big cycling fan I will look forward to the Lance Armstrong one, I must admit I never warmed to him - his bullying of other cyclists at the time such as simeoni and bassons ans the fact that those he beat easily without looking like he wasn’t even trying were pretty much all done for doping offences yet he was clean we were told + there was probable corruption at the UCI at the time who seemed to ignore all the allegations made
Have you ever read Tyler Hamilton’s book the “secret race” ed001? - it’s an excellent read, and although Tyler was no saint you understand a lot of the context of what was a very dirty era of the sport.

{Ed001's Note - to be fair cycling was always dirty. They just took it on to a whole new level. I haven't read all of his book, but a fair bit of it as research. I spent a lot of time researching the doping methods and what it does as well, to be sure I understood what was going on. It must be said Armstrong's use of cancer as a shield was despicable.}

09 Jan 2021 20:48:00
Lance will be interesting, cycling was very murky when he was involved. Not like that makes it ok but you can see why some chose to do it. However it’s the ****housery to lie about it for so long that I think winds most up.

But his fight with cancer and to even get himself back in the conversation of cyclings best was remarkable imo. Then there is the charity work which shouldn’t be diminished which leaves a character that is very chalk and cheese.

But looking forward to see your thought on him ed001.

{Ed001's Note - he is certainly a character.}

09 Jan 2021 20:59:08
EPO was a huge game changer in the 90s and a lack of a test until the early 2000s made cycling become a Wild West of doping with some quite frankly laughable races, such as the 1994 fleche Wallonne where an EPO fuelled gewiss team just rode away from the whole field.
People have a false perception that because “they all did it” therefore it justifies why Armstrong et all did it but with the equally laughable 50% haematocrit level whereby anyone over 50% took a 2 week break “for their health” meant everyone would jack up their blood to 49.9% and therefore someone whose level was naturally 42% would beat someone whose level was 44% because they had more to dope upto - it’s quite fascinating but disturbing some of the levels some of them went to cheat
If you don’t know already ed001- you may want to look up the history of an equally despicable character as Armstrong - Ricardo ricco and some of the lengths he went to to cheat.

10 Jan 2021 01:48:31
Me personally I would give it to all of those who want it and would love to see them climbing up the alps passing out the motorcycle doing about 40mph. Them it would come down to the best drug but have a level playing field.

10 Jan 2021 09:44:43
Ed01, Armstrong’s use of his cancer recovery was a huge media and commercial stunt that worked a treat in the States. Why? Cos everyone loves a great comeback story. He was able to gather lots of goodwill with Americans in 2003 and since France and the States ere at each other’s throats over the Iraq War, people used it as a rallying cry and a great shield to support him.

I was in the States at the time and I knew Armstrong was guilty but that he just hadn’t been caught yet. I got a lot of stick for it at the time from my own brother but cos I knew Cycling was dirty and that those Armstrong beat like Ulrich n Pantani got caught, I knew his time would come.

10 Jan 2021 12:16:48
Looking forward to the Armstrong one ed, love the villain articles.

{Ed001's Note - cheers mate, I do enjoy doing those.}