I’m not even talking about all the pseudo-asthmatics out there, vaping their way to better breathing. My breathing is just fine. It’s my little citron sized heart that is slowing me down. Is there a street-legal injection or vacuum pump for heart enlargement, or a trip to a doctor in the Congo that would transplant a badass Mandrill heart for me? That would have to improve my uphill sprint. The transplant shouldn’t be illegal; possibly unwise- but not illegal. I digress.
We can’t all do up a block of training on Tenerife so I rely on un caffé, an espresso. This is legal doping at its finest. One can do it in public. There is no shame attached to drinking an espresso with your teammates before a ride. Faema, a company that Eddy Merckx rode for is still in business, in the espresso business. It’s sort of like Amgen, a producer of EPO sponsoring the Tour of California. The UCI limit is 12 micrograms per ml in urine which is a lot of espresso, like ten of them. That much espresso would just make one a wild slavering beast (a mandrill for instance) who would burn very brightly and then be found trembling in a ditch when the lights went out. I’m sure there are some kermis racers who get all jacked on coffee and burn up the course. That might be the only way to actually dope with caffeine; a race that only lasts an hour and never slows down.
If I enjoy a pre-ride espresso, am I doping or am I just feeding my caffeine monkey (or mandrill) that rides on my back and needs to be serviced? It’s not effective doping if you dope every day of the year, just to get to nine AM, is it? My dose is just to get me back up to baseline functionality. I can’t even tolerate much caffeine in the middle of a long hot ride. After dosing mid-ride, I get a very uncomfortable hypo-glycemic out-of-body experience and my brain detaches. My brain and eyeballs floats above and I can see that poor suffering bastard down below, with the pre-adolescent sized heart, barely in control of his bike.
I will, on occasion, do a morning ride sans caffé. Some rides start too early in the morning for me to even think about brewing up and sometimes the ride’s terminus is a café so I hold off. It is never good. A long climb without coffee is much less fun than a long climb with a little caffeine pumping around the nervous system. That small does of caffeine makes the sweating, front wheel staring, and bartape chewing so much more fun and interesting. A jour sans (coffee) is no fun unless one is into a ride so exciting and exhausting (and that started before sunrise) that the lack of buzz is completely unnoticed. Espresso and climbing go well together. Is that why the Colombians are excellent climbers? Espresso and cycling are a good match, like cycling and beer. I’m not saying one needs to develop a coffee or drinking habit to be a cyclist. If you already have them, chapeau, here is a sport that embraces both, completely.
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Thank you wiscot, I do my best!
Hey...as our resident knower of all cycling info I was wondering about ages of Grand Tour winners. I watched a recent interview with LeMan and he pointed out the fact that the podium at the Giro was made up of racers all under 24. He said this confirms true talent and good genes, that you don't suddenly get good at 30.
I know the thinking goes racers need to mature and get the mileage into their bodies over a few years.
But, what is the average age of Grand Tour winners over time like? Seems like Hinault, LeMan, Merckx, Fignon, Coppi all won when pretty young. Wonder if the age is moving up/down/at all?
@Gianni
Ahhh, fuck, that must be the secret!
But you need more expletives. You seem weak on that part of your work.
@Ron
Ok, here goes:
Coppi: born 1919, turned pro 1939, first tour win 1949, age 30, first participation
Anquetil: born 1934, first tour win 1957, age 23, first participation
Gimondi: born 1942, turned pro 1965, first tour win 1965, age 23, first participation
Merckx, born 1945, turned pro 1965, first tour win 1969, age 24, first participation
Thevenet: born 1948, turned pro 1970, first tour win 1975, age 27, 5th participation
Hinault: born 1954, turned pro 1974, first Tour win 1978, age 24, first participation
Fignon: born 1960, turned pro 1982, first Tour win 1983, age 23, first participation
LeMond: born 1961, turned pro 1981, first tour win 1986, age 25, 3rd participation
Indurain: born 1964, turned pro 1984, first tour win 1991, age 27, 8th participation
I just picked multiple Tour winners here. All won at their first attempt save three: Thevenet, LeMond and Indurain. LeMond was 3rd, then 2nd then 1st in his first three participations - in the first two he was not team leader. Indurain? The jury's not answering at this time. I think the only real outlier here is Coppi and I think we can safely assume that had it not been for WWII, he would have won the tour in his mid 20s.
So, mid 20s seems to be the sweet spot, but usually with a few years of being professional first. I think the age is creeping up.
I get it, basically espresso is the way to . We all know that, dont we? I agree that it needs to be repeated on a regular basis. Thank Merckx I love the stuff!
In french, but you should get it...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGtKGX8B9hU&feature=kp
Pre - ride coffee...
Post Ride Beer...
@Tobin YES !
@Fausto Crapiz
you sir are more of a prophet and less of an internet commentor
@Tobin YES! Exactly ! Perfect. Precise. Cheers