1962 Tour de France cyclists running away from a local bar with their alcohol refill
Scenes from the 1962 Tour de France, captured in Louis Malle’s short documentary Vive le Tour.
In those days, riders were allowed to make what were known as “café raids” during the race. The peloton would descend on roadside cafés and bars, grab drinks and bottles, and quickly get back on their bikes. And no, they weren’t stopping to pay.
Beer, wine, champagne and other alcoholic drinks were commonly consumed during long races. There were no modern energy gels, sports drinks or carefully controlled nutrition plans, and alcohol was sometimes considered useful for taking the edge off the pain and exhaustion of racing for hours.
It looks completely absurd by modern professional cycling standards, but this was genuinely part of the culture of the Tour. A cyclist running out of a local bar with a bottle of booze, without paying for it, was apparently just another day at the Tour de France.