A good Tour takes a year off your life? Not any more it doesn't. It may actually add a couple of years. http://www.escardio.org/congresses/esc-2013/congress-reports/Pages/709-Tr-de-France.aspx

The authors don't actually conclude that the Tour adds longevity, just note that the French Tour riders have generally lived six years longer than the general population. But come on, admit it, the old saw that the Tour takes a year off life expectancy does seem to be challenged by this.Ferminal said:Probably says more about their lifestyle than the actual effect of riding a GT.
I do think De Mondenard's 1990s study gave life to the lie that Tour vets die early. A big EU report from abt 2008 quoted it as showing that ""even though the link with doping has not been established, it is known that the life expectancy of those who have taken part in the Tour de France is lower than average."FoxxyBrown1111 said:LOL.
Another myth busted.
We had this discussion 2009 (AFIR) in the clinic. I guessed that pro riders live longer. Nobody believed.
So after all am not surprised. The average person smokes, drinks and does other risks, while a pro athlete rather lives heahlty (besides doping).
The authors note that the Gen-EPO years are open to change in the future, but considering how many bodies piled up on mortuary slabs *during* those years, you might have expected some bump in Tour vet mortality rates to be shown, which it wasn't.Briant_Gumble said:I'm British but I think France might have the least doped cyclists in the world which might add to their longevity.
The results of the EPO generation are heavily obscured by the 1947-2012 timeframe. If EPO came in, in 1991 that really gives them 10 years to die which for guys on average probably in their mid 20's would be a very early death indeed.
The only conclusion I'm drawing from this is that cycling is good for your health.
I agree with your second paragraph.fmk_RoI said:The authors note that the Gen-EPO years are open to change in the future, but considering how many bodies piled up on mortuary slabs *during* those years, you might have expected some bump in Tour vet mortality rates to be shown, which it wasn't.
As for French riders being cleaner - post-Festina, this may be true, because of judicial intervention, but pre-Festina absolutely not true.
Where is that EU report? Even tough 786 TdF riders is a very small sample size (= huge margin of error) i highly doubt pro riders die younger. For now we only have this study here, which shows riders actually live longer.fmk_RoI said:I do think De Mondenard's 1990s study gave life to the lie that Tour vets die early. A big EU report from abt 2008 quoted it as showing that ""even though the link with doping has not been established, it is known that the life expectancy of those who have taken part in the Tour de France is lower than average."
Plus, of course, we've got the litany of names: Fausto Coppi (dead at 40), Gastone Nencini (dead at 49), Hugo Koblet (dead at 39), Tom Simpson (dead at 29), Roger Rivière (dead at 40), Louison Bobet (dead at 58), Jacques Anquetil (dead at 53), Luis Ocaña (dead at 48), Marco Pantani (dead at 34), and Laurent Fignon (dead at 50).
Do you have a source for that?FoxxyBrown1111 said:Why am I so sure? Because even in the mega dope/painkiller league NFL, players actually live longer than the average american.
yeah but those two also did a ton of recreational "doping" that probably had more to do with their deaths than the PED's they tookBriant_Gumble said:I agree with your second paragraph.
I still believe the average lifespan will look very different in 10 years for the EPO generation aside from the initial deaths of those who didn't know how to use it, off the top of my head Frank VandenBroucke (34 Pulmonary Embolism), Philippe Gaumont (40 heart attack) are two examples of deteriorated health from doping.
Maybe in the case of Gaumont but biologically I think it's much more likely that a pulmonary embolism would be caused by EPO than any recreational drug.zlev11 said:yeah but those two also did a ton of recreational "doping" that probably had more to do with their deaths than the PED's they took
Is that a typo, seems incongruent with the rest of what you have said to me but I may be wrong.therhodeo said:Given how the early dopers doped, its no wonder they died young. Most of the last big doping generation haven't gotten old enough to really show themselves yet aside from the few that did it wrong and paid the price very young.
Actually 786 is a good sample size that gives high confidence (low margin of error).FoxxyBrown1111 said:..................... Even tough 786 TdF riders is a very small sample size (= huge margin of error) .................
How so? Simpson and the like did some nasty stuff to their bodies to keep them running. I'm surprised honestly that more guys didn't die like Simpson did.Briant_Gumble said:Is that a typo, seems incongruent with the rest of what you have said to me but I may be wrong.
Yep, congressional papers. If you can wait i´ll look for it... (2-3 weeks, coz am shifting).Briant_Gumble said:Do you have a source for that?
If doped sports are healthier than the average lifestyle it doesn't negate the fact that clean sports are healthier than doped sports.
a good sample size would be 10.000... anyway i give you the point.avanti said:Actually 786 is a good sample size that gives high confidence (low margin of error).
Where is the evidence for them dieing early, let alone young?therhodeo said:Given how the early dopers doped, its no wonder they died young.
But EPO will not "cause" an embolism a decade after your retirement.Briant_Gumble said:Maybe in the case of Gaumont but biologically I think it's much more likely that a pulmonary embolism would be caused by EPO than any recreational drug.
Thanks for the link, but i couldn´t find anything life expectancy related.fmk_RoI said:
Just a small list posted above.fmk_RoI said:Where is the evidence for them dieing early, let alone young?
Plus, of course, we've got the litany of names: Fausto Coppi (dead at 40), Gastone Nencini (dead at 49), Hugo Koblet (dead at 39), Tom Simpson (dead at 29), Roger Rivière (dead at 40), Louison Bobet (dead at 58), Jacques Anquetil (dead at 53), Luis Ocaña (dead at 48), Marco Pantani (dead at 34), and Laurent Fignon (dead at 50).