Cycling protests against doping controls in the 1960s. An analysis from the Spanish press

In the 1960s, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) became the first international sports federation to introduce anti-doping controls. This had an impact among cyclists who until then had used different drugs in order to improve or maintain their sports performance, without this practice being a reason for sanction. This research proposes that the different protest actions carried out by cyclists, both individual and collective, were the main cause of the difficulties that the organizers of cycling races had in demanding the compliance with controls. The analysis has been carried out, mainly, with two Spanish newspapers, ABC, a generalist, and Mundo Deportivo, specialized in sports. Both media supported the sanctions imposed by the UCI against cyclists boycotting the controls, except when the sanctioned was a Spanish sportsman, Guillermo Timoner, who was also one of the national sports heroes. The highlight of the protests was the creation, in 1969, of the International Association of Professional Cycling Riders (IAPCR), made up of the most important cyclists of the moment, such as Jacques Anquetil or Eddy Merckx. The mere associationism of the cyclists was also harshly criticized by the Spanish press.