I must admit that I have often accepted the line that we can still consider 'pre-Epo era' performances to be 'authentic', especially those from the days when stimulants were the doping method of choice, on the grounds that these 'Did nothing to alter the basic physiology of the cyclist'. Now I am not so sure.
It seems that there is actually a very poor understanding of what it is that limits human performance, and that when one slows down because of 'fatigue' there are no obvious physiological markers that can be said to cause that fatigue. Rather, the body's central nervous system, acting on physiological cues, effectively shuts down physiological systems so as to prevent the possibility of damage, conserve resources or whatever. This 'Central Governor' theory suggests that a rider who feels 'tired' is, from a purely physiological standpoint, actually capable of a much higher workload. (I am sure you are all aware of this theory).
All this suggests that performances in the 'old days', when riders regarded the use of stimulants as a normal part of their 'work', might well lack authenticity almost as much as those in the modern era when it is the rider's physiology that is being manipulated. OK, so modern methods may be more effective in the long term as the use of stimulants is likely to lead to a rider over-reaching and collapsing (Simpson perhaps being the perfect example). However, for the odd stage or one day event, or if used in moderation over a longer period, it seems that amphetamines and so forth were quite capable of giving a rider such an advantage that a rider who was racing clean would be very seriously disadvantaged.
It all makes me wonder whether the 'heroic feats' of the past were just as much fabrications of doping as those of the modern era.
It seems that there is actually a very poor understanding of what it is that limits human performance, and that when one slows down because of 'fatigue' there are no obvious physiological markers that can be said to cause that fatigue. Rather, the body's central nervous system, acting on physiological cues, effectively shuts down physiological systems so as to prevent the possibility of damage, conserve resources or whatever. This 'Central Governor' theory suggests that a rider who feels 'tired' is, from a purely physiological standpoint, actually capable of a much higher workload. (I am sure you are all aware of this theory).
All this suggests that performances in the 'old days', when riders regarded the use of stimulants as a normal part of their 'work', might well lack authenticity almost as much as those in the modern era when it is the rider's physiology that is being manipulated. OK, so modern methods may be more effective in the long term as the use of stimulants is likely to lead to a rider over-reaching and collapsing (Simpson perhaps being the perfect example). However, for the odd stage or one day event, or if used in moderation over a longer period, it seems that amphetamines and so forth were quite capable of giving a rider such an advantage that a rider who was racing clean would be very seriously disadvantaged.
It all makes me wonder whether the 'heroic feats' of the past were just as much fabrications of doping as those of the modern era.
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