The history of the productCOUP DE POMPE

THE "COUP DE POMPE" OR HUNGER PANGS ARE THE DREAD OF EVERY CYCLIST

The medical diagnosis is well known. It is a hypoglycemia, a drop in blood glucose levels. In the case of cyclists, it appears when the food has been insufficient to compensate for the efforts made.

Throughout the history of cycling races, on many occasions, hunger has changed the course of the race. Among the many examples that have remained famous are the Pélissier brothers who lost a Paris-Roubaix in the 1920s. Raphaël Géminiani lost a world championship in the 1950s and Miguel Indurain a Giro d'Italia in the 1990s. Even the great Bernard Hinault, almost lost a French championship because of hunger, finishing the last kilometers at a crawl.

The history of cravings is also filled with stories of "meals" taken in a hurry or too late with the food available: grass or mimosas on the side of the road, sugar cubes in their paper, the two-pound loaf of bread devoured at a baker's or the warm can of beer accompanied by fifteen sugar cubes.