Here’s some fun for a Saturday night… following the standard conversation about all cyclists being cheats, I argued that it all depends on your definition of cheating when considering “doping” in cycling. I went on to explain that before a Race I’d often neck a can of redbull and some ibuprofen to keep my knees from getting inflamed. After races I’d always take vitamins as I found I often got a sore throat post race.

When I stopped racing I started doing long road rides and would often have energy gels, energy drinks, recovery drinks etc to ensure my body was appropriately fuelled and if I was tires id stop for an amaericano or some jelly babies.

Lately I’ve started taking a decongestant before rides as I’m suffering from a lingering cold since October, I feel
Fine but a slightly blocked nose is affecting my ride.

Am I a terrible person, bringing the sport into disrepute and generally as bad as lance, it is it fairly normal for cyclists to be aware of their bodies and manage them as best as possible (few sports have similar demands on the body and give you time to reflect on them!)

This would all be really clear if there was a list of banned substances.

Ibuprofen before riding? Probably not too good for you. Pretty sure you need to be taking tramadol to disconnect the feeling of having legs. You may also feel a bit weird.

Maybe go to a busy local gym or rugby training ground and ask the muscle guys about getting some decent HGH or something for recovery..

If you don’t have a BC license you can do whatever the hell you want really.

Only thing on your list that might be on WADA list is your decongestant, dependant upon type.

In some people concentrated beetroot juice gives a 5% increase in aerobic capacity. Not banned yet…

Apparently the nitrates have that effect if you’ve got the right genes.

All fine as long as you had a letter from your mum and the decongestant was couriered to you!

This is a good read, there’s another about a journo who goes the whole hog, HGH, EPO, that’s an amazing read.

Outside on line

It raise the point that it is very subjective,in one respect, what is actually artificial assistance. Some things are banned, others are not. It could, and is, argued that anything artificial in banned but so much of modern sports nutrition is artificial, is not what a normal human eats. Beetroot for example in any quantity. Makes you wonder why the line was drawn where it is.

id stop for an amaericano

Anamorelin/EPO cocktail?

Whatever it takes…..

Always amazed me how many people had ‘exerciserace induced asthma’ and were puffing away on an inhaler before going to the start line.

It’s not subjective though is it? 🙂 It’s a list

If it’s on the list, it’s banned. If it’s not on the list, it’s not banned.

I got some decongestant from a pharmacy a couple of years back. As I was on my bike they asked me if I was licensed and competing (as if) as any urine test would light me up as a doper if I was using what they gave me. Sadly I didn’t notice any performance benefit.

Pretty safe to say I’d never pass a drugs test, as I rely heavily on caffeine to get through most days! 😆

Red Bull and a Sudafed tablet about an hour before kick off (but I dont recommend it as it’s dangerous and have nasty side effects). I can understand all he banned substances because it really did make a difference to endurance/speed and with asthma inhaler (genuine user) gave me the strength of 10 men.
Funny thing is since retiring from playing and purely biking, I’ve never felt he competitive need to use any performance enhancing drugs and rarely have to use a blue inhaler!

Caffeine is not a prohibited substance. It is part of the WADA “monitoring program”. So it seems you could get tested for it, but no limits on how much you can consume.

Bigger Faster Stronger

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWpxRa3wRm8[/video]

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/knowledge/training/anti-doping/article/izn20140108-Anti-doping—Prohibited-List-0

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/knowledge/training/anti-doping/article/izn20140108-Therapeutic-Use-Exemptions–TUE–0

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/knowledge/training/anti-doping

Supplements

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tCml6wtqrY[/video]

Cedric Gracia
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeLwPd4uPBc[/video]

Beetroot is what normal people eat! I’ve always eaten a lot of beetroot since I was a kid. It’s in my shopping trolley every week because it’s tasty!

I argued that it all depends on your definition of cheating when considering “doping” in cycling. I went on to explain that before a Race I’d often neck a can of redbull and some ibuprofen to keep my knees from getting inflamed. After races I’d always take vitamins as I found I often got a sore throat post race.

Hardly doping by club standard! Most cycling clubs will have recreational riders on EPO, HGH, testosterone. Whatever it takes to win the weekly club run / chain gang.

I’d be up for it if it meant I could beat Crosshair on Watopia

I take codeine if I’m doing long rides to dull leg pain.
I get it on prescription for a dicky knee

An running friend of mine used to max out on Red Bull before races, and often in training. He developed tachycardia and now just jogs round the park when he can!

So if you don’t have a bc license it’s fine to be a complete drug whore

Who runs non sanctioned events 🙂

All Enduros are non sanctioned. Fill your boots.

I think every other racing format is bc or tli who have doping policies

I think a fair few people up there ^ would test positive for placebos though.

Footflaps – do you genuinely think that about club level riders and EPO, HGH, testosterone etc? (That’s a genuine question, not some sort of sarcastic question!) 🙂 Do you have specific experience of this?

Apparently the nitrates have that effect if you’ve got the right genes.

Actually it is oral bacteria that convert the unabsorbable nitrates into nitrites. Mammals lack the enzyme. A 5% increase requires a lot of nitrate. Vasodilation has been demonstrated,however.

A lot of amateur racers take iron supplements to increase haematocrit. My bowels, they say no. I’ve taken ibuprofen prophylactically after my accident before races. I did once take a tramadol at the end of a race more interest than performance. Never again! This was after I had been taking it regularly for a couple of months to counter fracture pain in my face.

If it’s not on the list, it is acceptable. There is a urine threshold for all those exercise induced asthmatics, so don’t overdo the ventolin. There is also a limit for caffeine. Both limits would see you with enough tremors to have trouble controlling a race bike.

And a couple of uk amateurs are serving bans.

I argued that it all depends on your definition of cheating when considering “doping” in cycling

As someone else mentioned, the WADA list is all that really counts, even though it’s not perfect.

Everything on that list is there because it’s a performance enhancing substance that can really mess people up.

If you want to take anything else that is performance enhancing but has no currently known harmful effects (caffeine, beetroot juice, etc) then go ahead – any of your competitors can do the same and no-one’s going to die in their beds.

If you want to take something that is harmful, but is not on the list then it won’t help in competition and that’s just being stupid.

I’d hold my hand up and say I’d be interested in experiencing what epo or whatever was like.

Last summer I was at, what will likely be my all time fittest and strongest, when I was training to do an Ironman. Resolutely mid field – trainer road virtual power had me at 4w/kg and completed in 12hr 53. Exactly average Joe.

When I traing those who had given blood saw their performance in training fall of a cliff.

If epo or alternate was the equal but opposite equivalent it’d be interesting to experience what that was like if I were honest. It must feel like being superhuman.

Strong footnote – not interested in doping for a race to battle for 753rd place. It’s purely curious to see what it was like.

Also I’m batshit scared of needles and the thought of injecting my veins is the actual stuff of nightmares!

There is a urine threshold for all those exercise induced asthmatics, so don’t overdo the ventolin. There is also a limit for caffeine. Both limits would see you with enough tremors to have trouble controlling a race bike.

You can OD on Ventolin?!
I’m almost tempted to give it a go 😆

I always like to have a puff before the big hills come up, even if I’m not feeling wheezy. Probably helps, and the placebo effect of having had a puff probably kicks in too.

Just FYI you don’t have carte Blanche if you don’t hold a BC license. If you are a member of a BC or CTT affiliated club you can technically still be subject to out of competition testing. The chances are virtually zero but I know of one guy who has just been hit with a 4 year ban for refusing a dope test. Never raced, never intended to but UKAD rocked up on his doorstep after border controls intercepted a package of medicine he intended to take to help recover from a knee injury sustained in a crash in Majorca.

4 year ban from cycling means he can’t be a member of any BC/CTT affiliated club or ride in any club organised events. Persona non grata until sometime 2020.

I also hear on the grape vine that a very high profile sportive may be introducing random dope testing this year or next at the latest.