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@General_Lucifer
One of my favourite riders from that era was Jose María Jiménez, but no-one goes on about him because he didn't win the Tour.
He attacked, he was a natural climber, he had immense style and panache, he was incredibly entertaining.
He also doped, became hopelessly addicted to drugs and died in a hospital from a heart attack at 32, bloated and suffering from depression.
He was, by all accounts, a really lovely man, kind and generous with his time. Just because he doped doesn't make him a bastard. In the end he paid that clichéd 'ultimate sacrifice' for his actions.
I suppose the question is, could he have done it without dope? I reckon no-one can say when it comes to riders from that era. The wins now mean almost nothing, the footage is all tainted and uncomfortable to watch.
I reckon that as bike fans we can either try and learn from the past and hope modern riders are cleaner, or give up and follow crown green bowls.
I'll still watch the races and love them, but I have to admit to being a pretty cynical when it comes to the results.