CONCLUSION

The Métier was a code to live by. It’s tempting to compare these edicts with today’s ‘rules’ of cycling, as espoused by Velominati – a code of conformity to signal to everyone, ‘I am a serious cyclist’.

Sure, there was an element of that – following the old rules told fellow insiders you were a serious professional. Rules bond groups together, but there’s also a dark side: they were a shared secret that encouraged a thoughtlessly compliant herd mentality – not unlike the era’s infamous omerta that for a long time prevented insiders from speaking out about doping.

Personally, I’m persuaded by Dr Josephine Perry’s suggestion (see box) that the old rules were a powerful psychological tool.

By following the rules handed down to them, young professional cyclists believed they had done everything they could possibly do to perform at their best.

As Perry points out, sportspeople nowadays like control, as it gives them certainty and a solid platform from which to measure improvement and make progress.

They can’t control what happens during a race, but they can control their preparation.

British Cycling has a mantra: ‘control the controllable’ – it’s a 21st-century cycling code to live by.

If you as a cyclist feel certain that you have a completely firm grip on all of the factors you can control, that puts you in a good place psychologically, freeing you to perform at your physical best.

In many respects, the old rules had elements of the ‘marginal gains’ ethos made famous by Dave Brailsford: looking after the little things adds up to a decisive overall gain.