Cyclists haven't always
boosted
their hematocrit levels to improve their performance. In the good old days, the crooked cyclist's pharmacopoeia included astonishing ingredients...
Doping is as old as competitive sport itself, because wherever there are humans, there is human folly, and therefore cheating.
Even during the ancient Greek Olympic Games, aspiring Apollos sought to improve their performance by ingesting large quantities of meat and "fortifying potions", even when competing in chariot races.
In the world of cycling, as one might suspect, the concern is more recent but still relevant (thanks, Lance). Since the sport began, however, the means of boosting performance and results have had time to evolve.
In a large bowl of strychnine...
Before the wicked Amonbofis made it an ingredient in his famous arsenic pudding in the film Astérix et Cléopâtre, strychnine was not only used for its... toxic properties. This alkaloid, mainly used in vermin control at the beginning of the century, has astonishing qualities when used moderately.
Stimulating the central nervous system, strychnine increases taste, smell, and sight, but it also increases respiratory amplitude. A big advantage for athletes in endurance sports like road cyclists and marathon runners, the most striking example of which was certainly Thomas Hicks, who won the 1904 Olympic marathon thanks to two injections of strychnine – an incredible stroke of luck for him, since a third dose would have been fatal.
Did we mention alkaloid? Let's also talk about cocaine, which was once used to treat respiratory illnesses. Cyclists of the 19th century used it widely, in keeping with a time when even the recipe for a certain soft drink included it. A renowned stimulant, coke helped riders to desensitize themselves to fatigue and pain and to believe they were better than they actually were. We give them credit for the attitude, but in the long run, their health suffered, because you don't last long on cocaine.
Always more
Throughout the 20th century, doping spread like wildfire. Unfair competition became almost the norm and high-level athletes died one after another. Nitroglycerin, that well-known explosive, was a regular feature of amateur and professional cycling circuits, alongside alcohol, caffeine, and ether, the only substance that could be detected due to its strong odor.
In an article from Le Petit Journal in 1932, the issue was cautiously addressed, from the perspective of the time:
"The use of doping is forbidden and punished by the rules of the Six-Day bicycle races, but to this day, no sanction has been taken against athletes and coaches who have resorted to it. This is because doping is always administered in the utmost secrecy (...).
How then can one discover the use of doping in an athlete? It is very easy. It suffices to take a little saliva from the suspected athlete and proceed with an analysis, which will quickly reveal the presence of the harmful product.
But there is a way that, better than any other, will prevent the absorption of doping or injections: keeping the time of the competitions secret. Doping, to be effective, must be taken X time before the competition. If the exact moment at which it will take place is unknown, it is impossible for the athlete to use doping, as it risks not producing its effect at the desired moment."
But cheating has many faces, and substances are only one of them.
Jean Robic, a small French cyclist, was greatly disadvantaged by his light weight during downhill sections, losing precious seconds to his opponents who passed him with no difficulty. In 1953, during the Tour de France, before starting a descent, he fitted his bike – with the help of an accomplice – with an aluminum bottle containing 10 kg of molten lead. This extra weight ultimately allowed him to win the stage, but the trick was revealed afterward and the rules were adapted accordingly...
Newspaper clipping "Amateur and Professional Doping"
From the newspaper L'Auto , October 27, 1932.
Photo "Bike + Propeller"
Anonymous photo, circa 1932
