Between the two world wars, the cigarette emerged from World War I as a central element of material culture in the United States and other European belligerent countries, where cigarette consumption came to exceed 4.6 billion per year-about 100 cigarettes per person. The habit of smoking persisted inexorably among men returned to civilian life who had learned to smoke in the trenches and were addicted to smoking.
Many athletes also fell into the smoking habit, including cyclists. Today a smoking athlete would be unthinkable, but back in the day things were a little different.
On the other hand, the tobacco industry showed great vitality in the fields of advertising and public relations, and showed itself capable of linking smoking to new symbolic elements, which were capable of attracting new potential consumers: from adults to young people and women.
photo Maurice Garin 1903
For a man, the cigarette was, perhaps even before the war, a symbol of virility. This is demonstrated by the pride with which Garin (winner of the first TdF) poses with a cigarette in his mouth in the ritual photo.
In the 1920's it was not uncommon for motorcyclists following races to share cigarettes while riding with athletes. Believe it or not, smoking was believed to help "open up the lungs" before the big climbs.
But where did these absurd beliefs come from?
Mostly from the 1940s and 1950s in the United States, tobacco giants were doing everything they could to keep their profits in check, even going so far as to create absurd advertising campaigns. Cigarettes were sponsored by more than 20,000 doctors, cigarettes that protected the throat or aided digestion, attempts to convince children to give cartons of cigarettes to their dad for his party, and other such amenities. It was not uncommon to see slogans like "doctors smoke cigarettes".
example of crazy 40s advertising campaign
Just think, even Gino Bartali's doctor advised him to smoke half a cigarette before leaving to "raise his pulse". Legend has it that Gino at the end of his career at the top of the climbs asked fans for a cigarette so he could smoke it during the race.
Gino Bartali relaxes
In those years cigarette companies were able to convince doctors to offer their products and even recommend them to treat throat irritation.
Other ads were aimed at women and tried to convince them that a good daily dose of cigarettes would help them to lose weight and stay in line.
It was only towards the end of the 1950s that it was realized that the widespread smoking habit was seriously damaging the health of the population and was beginning to weigh heavily on public health costs.
Today, even a child knows that tobacco smoke has harmful effects on physical and athletic performance. Disclosing vintage photographs of smoking athletes is not intended to promote smoking, far from it! The goal is to understand the context of the years we observe, perhaps justify certain behaviors (always in the context of time), but not normalize them and disguise them as healthy behaviors, especially today!
In short, if you want to live longer better and ride harder, do not smoke!
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