Just a little reminiscing game.

[SkipdiverJohn]

doping is as old as cycling itself and you could safely bet that the riders in the photo were all on something or other.

I don't doubt that for one minute even if the dopes were not that effective. I've certainly heard of alcoholic spirits being put in water bottles. Whether that gave any benefit beyond the calorific value of the fuel is questionable....

 

[Sharky]

I think one of the "greats" was being interviewed and was asked "Do you take drugs?" to which he replied "Only when I need to".
He was then asked "How often is that?", to which he replied "Every Day!"

 

[Sharky]

Just "googled" and in the 1904 tour, not only were they taking drugs, but were also taking trains!

The offenders were disqualified.

 

[cyberknight]

Coppi was upfront about his use of drugs, particularly "la bomba", a mix of caffeine, cola and amphetamine pills.

 

[woodbutcher]

Coppi was upfront about his use of drugs, particularly "la bomba", a mix of caffeine, cola and amphetamine pills.

I 'm not sure if thats a performance booster but what the hell, l bet you felt on top of the world. Irony is that the doc. doing the mixology was also unknowingly (maybe) sharing his wife with Fausto .

 

[cyberknight]

I 'm not sure if thats a performance booster but what the hell, l bet you felt on top of the world. Irony is that the doc. doing the mixology was also unknowingly (maybe) sharing his wife with Fausto .

feeling good and sports performance can be linked, if your not feeling the pain then you can push yourself harder as Tom Simpson found out to his cost

 

[woodbutcher]

feeling good and sports performance can be linked, if your not feeling the pain then you can push yourself harder as Tom Simpson found out to his cost

I agree completely, although l have never cycled competitively ( it has always been for pleasure and fitness) . l did row in a coxed four competitively , at club level and "head of the river" on the Thames etc. Our mantra back then was row through the pain and the adrenaline will see you through. Of course the payback came when the race finished !!

 

[Dogtrousers]

That I think may depend on your age. Anyway they cannot be proper bikes as they do not have rod brakes, which is how my father defined a proper bike.

Pah! Newfangled safety bicycles. Only Ordinaries are proper bicycles.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Considering their build, they do look more muscular than the skinny top climbing oriented GT riders of nowadays, but recent top classics riders like Canellara or more punchy riders like Sagan would fit right in with them.

This could be a result of the exceptional financial and publicity emphasis put on the GTs , especially the TdF, at the expense of other races. Perhaps in those days riders were required to be all-rounders to a greater extent.

 

[Sharky]

Some/all of those riders had spent the WW2 years in the various forces and no doubt were subjected to strict army training, which probably gave them all a more rounded physique.

 

[woodbutcher]

Some/all of those riders had spent the WW2 years in the various forces and no doubt were subjected to strict army training, which probably gave them all a more rounded physique.

Not the Italian ones thats for sure. Mussolini committed 230,000 Italians to support Hitlers invasion forces. 75,000 died including Coppi's former training partner, Borlando. Coppi's brother Livio made it back because he was given leave to do farm work .
If you are as interested in the riders of the past as l am , l would say read "Fallen Angel" by W. Fotheringham.
Good stuff .

 

[Ian H]

Trying to remind myself which famed track rider had specially made frames to manage his "stomp"..... Fair few Watts I would guess. Reg Harris? BITD the riding styles were very different, high gears low cadence and grunt!

It was Harris, though I expect that other track sprinters would have required similar.

 

[BalkanExpress]

Comparisons are always a bit tricky, both between generations and within a generation, and it is important to compare like with like.

As a generalisation climbers have always been smaller and lighter than cobbled classics riders and that is still the case. Any exceptions ptove the rule:-)

Tour de France winners in the early days were ultre endurance riders with arguably more in common with say Mark Beaumont than Chris Froome. In the modern three week stage race era they have by and large been all rounders, albeit excellent all rounders but strong climbers, strong time trialists, in fact just strong.

Modern equipment makes a difference In terms of body shape but let’s not forget that easier gears have let to climbs becoming more extreme, and I suspect that changes/ advances in nutrition have also had a real impact especially in terms of power to weight.

 

[woodbutcher]

Comparisons are always a bit tricky, both between generations and within a generation, and it is important to compare like with like.

As a generalisation climbers have always been smaller and lighter than cobbled classics riders and that is still the case. Any exceptions ptove the rule:-)

Tour de France winners in the early days were ultre endurance riders with arguably more in common with say Mark Beaumont than Chris Froome. In the modern three week stage race era they have by and large been all rounders, albeit excellent all rounders but strong climbers, strong time trialists, in fact just strong.

Modern equipment makes a difference In terms of body shape but let’s not forget that easier gears have let to climbs becoming more extreme, and I suspect that changes/ advances in nutrition have also had a real impact especially in terms of power to weight.

How irritating, l can't find anything to take issue with in what you say . You've covered all the bases
Now l can get back to deciding what my budget needs to be to get the Olmo on the road and still leave enough for me to eat at least once a day !!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

They look beefier than modern racing cyclists.

I’m not so sure, it just had modern cyclists have longer lycra shorts and the muscles aren’t so obvious. Look at this picture of Chris Froome to see the legs muscles of a modern GC winner.