Author Topic: How many racers smoke?  (Read 14516 times)

Biggsy

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How many racers smoke?
« on: 15 August, 2012, 01:51:31 pm »
And how much?

Wiggo caught puffing.
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clarion

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Re: How many racers smoke?
« Reply #1 on: 15 August, 2012, 01:54:42 pm »
That looks to be an 'interesting' 'cigarette'.
Getting there...

Biggsy

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Re: How many racers smoke?
« Reply #2 on: 15 August, 2012, 02:00:06 pm »
"Interesting cigarettes" included.  It's all bad for your lungs.
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clarion

  • Tyke
Re: How many racers smoke?
« Reply #3 on: 15 August, 2012, 02:00:48 pm »
Perhaps worse than the 'genuine' item, in fact.
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Re: How many racers smoke?
« Reply #4 on: 15 August, 2012, 02:03:19 pm »
Is whatever he's holding even smokable? Difficult to tell in the pics...

Armstrong used to "smoke" cigars didn't he?

I would imagine back in the 50s they'd be sparking up during races!
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Biggsy

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Re: How many racers smoke?
« Reply #5 on: 15 August, 2012, 02:07:21 pm »
I suppose it's not terrible if it's only once in a blue moon, but it got me wondering about smoking and cycle racing in general in the 21st century.
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clarion

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Re: How many racers smoke?
« Reply #6 on: 15 August, 2012, 02:08:12 pm »
Getting there...

Re: How many racers smoke?
« Reply #7 on: 15 August, 2012, 02:08:22 pm »
Properly managed, a cigarette habit could give an 8% boost to blood red-cell count for specific events, and also help to manage anxiety in athletes under stress. Obviously there are health costs, but nicotine is not a proscribed substance, and cigarettes are a fairly benign way of administering small doses of carbon-monoxide to stimulate natural EPO production.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1596157/

Gerard Rue, the French super-domestique liked a fag.


clarion

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Chris S

Re: How many racers smoke?
« Reply #9 on: 15 August, 2012, 02:16:39 pm »
There were plenty of brown leathery Frenchmen at last week's Semaine Federale who stepped off their bikes at the accueils and sparked up a Gauloises.

koff koff...

clarion

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Re: How many racers smoke?
« Reply #10 on: 15 August, 2012, 02:18:01 pm »
Surely Gitanes?  ;)
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Cudzoziemiec

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Re: How many racers smoke?
« Reply #11 on: 15 August, 2012, 02:23:05 pm »
That looks to be an 'interesting' 'cigarette'.
Perhaps the Telegraph realises this.
Quote
He appeared relaxed and in high spirits as he toasted in style the most remarkable time of his career on Monday night.
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Wonky

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How many racers smoke?
« Reply #12 on: 15 August, 2012, 02:39:11 pm »
Spend enough time hanging around the bike sheds......

Re: How many racers smoke?
« Reply #13 on: 15 August, 2012, 02:48:54 pm »
I could (but won't) name a number of "big hitters" from the past who had the odd smoke, including some big race winners. Merckx of course famously smoked, a lot more once he finished racing.

In the old days most 6 Day riders had a puff, otherwise their lungs would have rejected the air in the tracks instantly!

Re: How many racers smoke?
« Reply #14 on: 15 August, 2012, 03:02:09 pm »
Not a racer in the thread sense, But Michel Jazy, European champion and one-time world-record holder at the 1500m was a chain-smoker and I believe the legendary Herb Elliott was a smoker, too, though I'm not absolutely sure about him.  And, of course, I used to smoke myself, though that was before I became famous.

Re: How many racers smoke?
« Reply #15 on: 15 August, 2012, 05:03:49 pm »
This lot used to do a jersey with the famous photo of the front row of the peloton sharing a tab on it. I tried to buy one, but they don't do small orders or orders to the UK.

I do, however, have one of their jerseys showing the Paris-Roubaix peloton riding through a town on the back and the winner on the velodrome riding along carrying a huge bouquet on the other. It's a bit like this one.
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Re: How many racers smoke?
« Reply #16 on: 15 August, 2012, 08:59:11 pm »
Wasn't there an old cycling wives' tale that smoking 'opened up your lungs'?
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Ray 6701

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Re: How many racers smoke?
« Reply #17 on: 15 August, 2012, 09:16:11 pm »
I read somewhere that back in the 20's or 30's doctors would prescribe cigarettes to increase the heart rate as the cyclists rates were obviously low  :facepalm:
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citoyen

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How many racers smoke?
« Reply #18 on: 15 August, 2012, 09:29:39 pm »
nicotine is not a proscribed substance,

No, but cannabis is, isn't it? I do hope Wiggo isn't doing something silly.

Btw, talking of cyclists who smoke, what on earth has happened to Mr Larrington? Just realised I haven't seen him round these parts in ages.

d.
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red marley

Re: How many racers smoke?
« Reply #19 on: 15 August, 2012, 09:46:59 pm »
The link in the OP looks like a long-lens celeb stalking on holiday pap shot to me. Shame on you Telegraph. Let the man have a few days off in private with his friends and family.

(No reflection on the thread topic though, which is an interesting question.)

Cudzoziemiec

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Re: How many racers smoke?
« Reply #20 on: 15 August, 2012, 09:56:40 pm »
nicotine is not a proscribed substance,

No, but cannabis is, isn't it? I do hope Wiggo isn't doing something silly.
On the UCI list? Hardly performance enhancing I'd have thought.
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Re: How many racers smoke?
« Reply #21 on: 15 August, 2012, 10:02:30 pm »
Dunno about the UCI but it's certainly on WADA's - some bloke got booted out of the Lympics the other week for it

Linky
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Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: How many racers smoke?
« Reply #22 on: 15 August, 2012, 10:18:22 pm »
Hmmm.
Quote
Substances on WADA's banned list should meet two of the following criteria: they are proven to be performance enhancing, they are dangerous to the health of athletes, or they are contrary to the spirit of sport.
Presumably that means at least two out of three. I'd always assumed "performance enhancing" was sufficient criteria on its own. Anyway, "contrary to the spirit of sport" seems sufficiently vague it could be used to ban just about anything.
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citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
How many racers smoke?
« Reply #23 on: 15 August, 2012, 10:34:17 pm »
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: How many racers smoke?
« Reply #24 on: 16 August, 2012, 12:45:22 am »
When we had a holiday in Kenya in the mid 90s I was surprised that the leading brand of cigarettes was 'Sportsman', but back then I was convinced that the one thing that cyclists would never put in their 'Coca Cola' branded bottles on the Tour de France was Coke.
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