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It was, same with our runners although the most decorated are well into dying off.
Just because it was a response to the degenerate west, crude, isolated and overlooked by party commissars, doesn't mean that the runners and the crews gave less shit and it had any less soul than Molteni with their guy or Matje's gramps.
Eurosport Polska commentators, now one of them is left, the other one was kinda forced into retirement, were in the business back then and they still will reminisce and tell stories from time to time.
Bet it had to be a big deal, back in the day.