eddie era,very interesting.there are arguments to be made.first,cycling was huge back than.very little cars.sure cycling wasnot global sport,but back than whole urban europe was on bike.anyone who knows that generation,knows riding abike was joke in comparison to hard labour thye did otherwise.this is somewhat true even for pros from that era.athletic ability,this i very speculative and controversial,its either plumbers or they were athletic monsters ancestrors coming from decades of very hard labour.doping,another controversial point.general idea is not much help.well,could be true,but we know drugs from pre ww2 era were huge on endurance and being able to stay awake.there are rumblings eddie was big on that and they mastered aplication to avoid burn out,unlike nazis in france or russia,lol.now eddie was accused of more than just doping and im sure they bough many small races to pum up palmares.eddie didnot go that deep in wins,just beacuse he could.guys like eddie or roger were rutless,even guy like armstrong is marshmellow in comp to them.just listen to them today and see difference.for eddie and roger its never finished,lmaoo.