Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 10/22/2013 10:48 AM |
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Supposedly the inside story of the LA machine.....not just LA, but everyone behind it, etc.
bought it last night in iBooks and read a bit. good read so far, but some stuff kinda bugs me....some very basic facts.
in the beginning oif the book, there is a "List of Characters" and who they are. In it, he identifies Tyler Hamilton, but says he got busted for EPO use. No, he got busted for blood tranfusions.
The authors later say lemond was the first $1M contract, signed in 1991. No, it was signed at the end of 1989, before the 1990 season.
Yeah, I know I am being nit-picky, but if the authors can't get some basic facts correct.....well, does it make their credibility somehwat suspect?
Dunno.....but a decent read so far. Still very early into it, though. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Yo Mike
Posts:338
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| 10/22/2013 11:00 AM |
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I heard part of an interview with the authors on NPR 'Fresh Air' last night. I got an 'amateurish' feeling about the authors regarding the technical aspects of the sport. It IS a complicated sport, and maybe they were just simplifying things for their readers, who likely won't know much about the complexity of the pro cycling.
As CK said, they really ought to have gotten the basic facts correct, tho.
Inaccuracies aside: the authors correctly labeled -7 as the lying, cheating, bullying scumbag that he is.
Yes, I am paraphrasing somewhat. |
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Entheo
Posts:317
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| 10/22/2013 12:29 PM |
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here's the cliff notes version...
http://velorooms.com/files/ArmstrongBusinessConnections.pdf |
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jrt1045
Posts:363
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| 10/22/2013 04:30 PM |
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From excerpts I read on cycling news, lots of intrigue on the part of Floyd. The hero of the story as it were
another hit for -7, wonder when he's going to have the fire sale? haven't seen the interwebs littered with slightly used Discover/Postal gear |
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billygoat
Posts:14
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| 10/22/2013 05:20 PM |
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| I listened to them on a radio interview last night and I remember them talking about something which was factually wrong. Might have been the Tyler thing but I just can't remember....made me wonder too about the rest of their "knowledge".... |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 10/22/2013 05:57 PM |
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| sounds like someone wants to make a quick buck...i will wait for the toilet roll edition |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 10/22/2013 06:00 PM |
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| @ OC - these are the guys who wrote a series of pieces on 7 for the Wall Street Journal , so I'd like to think they have at least some credentials. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 10/22/2013 06:17 PM |
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| sloppiness that keeps getting highlighted here strongly points to them wanting to convert their supposed credentials into a quick buck. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 10/22/2013 06:30 PM |
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Oh yeah...I don't disagree. As noted in my first post, it bugged me from the get-go. Yeah, they are minor details (really minor) but still....they did write for the WSJ (and supposedly broke several of the LA stories, not to mention interviewing him several times).
As a result, I'll be reading the book with a slightly more cynical view than normal. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 10/25/2013 04:23 PM |
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OK a few other "facts" that are bugging me.....
* The authors implied / stated that the Motorola team debuted in the fall of '90. Uh, no they didn't, it was the spring of '91.
* They claim that LA's Fleche Wallone victory was his "biggest to date" and said on numerous other occasions that LA was still lacking his first big international win (but they covered his first TdF stage win and his WC win). Uh, Fleche Wallone > Worlds? Don't think so....
* They state that he would have been 21 for the 92 Olympics.....but he was 21 (almost 22) when he won Worlds in Norway. And they repeatedly say that he was 21 during the '93 season. Uhhhhh.....
Now, does any of this mean that what else they are claiming isn't accurate? Not necessarily, but it does raise the question of how closely they checked their facts down the road. IMO. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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efred
Posts:4
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| 10/28/2013 02:49 PM |
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I'm about half way through it... it's kinda bland.
it reads like the collection of in depth articles it probably was based on.
I have come across a few things that I did not know. |
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hplbiking
Posts:1
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| 10/29/2013 10:46 AM |
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I just finished the book. For the record I always considered myself 1/2 between the haters and the lovers. I thnk people are complex and that EVERYONE is the sum of good and evil.
That being said I came out of the book thinking he was even more of a dick than before. One of the most narcissistic, self centered, use everyone and anyone for person gain type of people possible. He ego is so frail I really wonder how the next chapter will play out. I still think he was a bad ass on the bike, but it seems clear that he was taking the doping to a higher level than most. The number of careers and relationships he destroyed is pretty high.
It is funny I was either going to read this or Steve Jobs' book. In talking with those that have read it, it appears that Lance was the Steve Jobs of the sports world. Same type of person. |
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longslowdistance
Posts:2886
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| 10/29/2013 10:52 AM |
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Blend them and you get the
iDope
Doping made pretty, shiny, and oh-so-easy to use. |
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Yo Mike
Posts:338
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| 10/29/2013 11:54 AM |
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Apt comparisons, hplbiking and LSD
They both gave the sheeple what they wanted |
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thinline
Posts:325
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| 10/29/2013 12:54 PM |
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| Another example of the ends justify the meanies. |
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