Doping in MTB

[Morgazano]

With the recent positive test of Italian rider Elena Gaddoni, how much are PEDs used in the mountain bike world? Seems like it is not as rife as road cycling, I guess due to less money involved.

Would like to hear peoples thoughts...

 

[Wolves-Lower]

Michael Rassmussen
Alexi Grewal

 

[DirtyWorks]

Hard to Know

I believe the general opinion on this forum is that 'modern doping' is slower results/performances when compared to doped times over a similar/same course. The 'modern' aspect is that pharmaceuticals are used to make recovery times impossibly short times as compared to no-dope racers.

I don't doubt doping is happening in MTB. Probably in a less sophisticated way given less money overall in that area of cycling.

I'm going to start another thread as a result of your question. I wonder if there might be ways to identify doped riders by results.

 

[Weapons of @ss Destruction]

Surely you must be joking. The history of mountain biking is dirty beyond belief. Even examining only the winners of men's XC world championships, without even getting into all the other violations from other riders we have;

- Jerome Chiotti (never busted, but admitted it publicly on his own initiative years later because he couldn't live with it, was stripped of title)

- Filip Meirhaeghe (busted for EPO)

- Christophe Dupouey (eventually committed suicide after being found out as part of a performance enhancing drug trafficking ring)

- Michael Rasmussen (pulled by his own road team from TdF '07)

- Roland Green suspended a couple of years after his world titles, although perhaps technicality for failing to file a TUE/Therapeutic Use Exemption on time with the UCI, for a medication that he had previously received permission to use, not as serious a violation)

Considering that there haven't been that many different world champions in the past 15 years (some multiple winners), this is an awfully high percentage that have been tripped up.

 

[Rip:30]

IMO, there is less incentive to cheat b/c there is wayyyy less $ for winners currently in XC mountain biking. Especially here in the states or anywhere outside of the Europe.

Chris Sheppard (Can), was a recent exception to this. He got popped for EPO, but probably never made more then $20 k a year racing (which is actually really good for a North American pro XC racer). Europe is probably different, as there is more interest/money in XC, but if you are going to boost why not race road for bigger cash.

 

[SteveMedcroft]

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