Pro Cyclists and Smoking

[Merckx index]

http://articles.sfgate.com/2001-07-03/news/17610335_1_nicotine-new-blood-blood-vessels


Pardon me an article about the study.

The drug "is much like fire -- it can be very harmful, and yet it can be useful if you know how to control it," Cooke said in an interview.

Sounds like any other PED to me. Since when did possible carcinogenic properties ever make an athlete hesitate to dope?

The only problem I have in all this is, how do you keep a cigarette lighted when moving at 30 mph or faster? And are you allowed to borrow a lighter from the team car, or is that cheating? Are there penalties for dropping butts on the road? Lots of unexplored issues here.

 

[theswordsman]

I didn't bother with the first two pages of the thread, but popped in based on the title. During the Vuelta I read a ton of articles trying to get to the truth of the Schlecklet/O'Grady story. One account that I trusted said that Andy was smoking "as usual" with no clear indication of what. I'd try to track down the link, but it wasn't in English and I can't be bothered. I documented all links in a thread about the guys getting kicked out at the time.

I also saw, as was mentioned earlier, that hashish was taken in the Popovych raid. I'll let my participation in the discussion end there. Off to watch Rams/Seahawks.

 

[Ferminal]

Smoking raises cancer awareness, I encourage it.

 

[JMBeaushrimp]

Would you like me to post a link to the definition of the word idiot ?

No need. We already read your post...

 

[knewcleardaze]

Sounds like any other PED to me. Since when did possible carcinogenic properties ever make an athlete hesitate to dope?

The only problem I have in all this is, how do you keep a cigarette lighted when moving at 30 mph or faster? And are you allowed to borrow a lighter from the team car, or is that cheating? Are there penalties for dropping butts on the road? Lots of unexplored issues here.

I've been doing it all wrong! One should smoke whilst riding? I usually smoke before and after riding.

 

[Granville57]

http://articles.sfgate.com/2001-07-03/news/17610335_1_nicotine-new-blood-blood-vessels


Pardon me an article about the study.

I just took a look at that link and this is what I came away with. It's all right there, I didn't make up any of the words.

Nicotine study surprises scientists

In an unexpected finding, Stanford University researchers have discovered for the first time that nicotine can promote...new blood vessels.

At the same time, the researchers said, nicotine may ultimately prove useful.
The drug is much like fire...it can be very useful if you know how to control it.

Earlier research on smoking had indicated that nicotine prevented or at least limited the formation of new blood vessels, a process known as angiogenesis. Cooke and his team were experimenting with mice to prove that theory when they found the drug had exactly the opposite effect.
"We didn't expect it," Cooke said, "but it was a great finding."

When the researchers compared the results of the treated and untreated mice, they found that:
-- The hind legs of mice whose normal blood supply had been cut off developed networks of new blood vessels.

Maybe it’s just me but this sounds like a slam dunk for cycling.

SMOKESTRONG!

 

[Ferminal]

I just took a look at that link and this is what I came away with. It's all right there, I didn't make up any of the words.



Maybe it’s just me but this sounds like a slam dunk for cycling.

SMOKESTRONG!

So PEDs really did give Lance cancer?

 

[Granville57]

So PEDs really did give Lance cancer?

Not sure what that term means, so I googled it
http://www.acronymfinder.com/PED.html

If you mean any of the following from the list, then I suppose...yeah.

Personal Electronic Device (Radio Shack connection)
Processing, Exploitation & Dissemination
Prototype Engine Demonstration
Peak Effective Dose
Parole Eligibility Date

 

[Ferminal]

Not sure what that term means, so I googled it
http://www.acronymfinder.com/PED.html

If you mean any of the following from the list, then I suppose...yeah.

Personal Electronic Device (Radio Shack connection)
Processing, Exploitation & Dissemination
Prototype Engine Demonstration
Peak Effective Dose
Parole Eligibility Date

All of the above?

 

[Granville57]

Actually, it's quite an established training method. Old school, you might say.

 

[Andynonomous]

Not sure what that term means, so I googled it
http://www.acronymfinder.com/PED.html

If you mean any of the following from the list, then I suppose...yeah.

Personal Electronic Device (Radio Shack connection)
Processing, Exploitation & Dissemination
Prototype Engine Demonstration
Peak Effective Dose
Parole Eligibility Date

I don't know if you are just joking or not (since it is a VERY well used term here), but PEDs means "Performance Enhancing Drugs".

 

[Granville57]

I don't know if you are just joking or not (since it is a VERY well used term here), but PEDs means "Performance Enhancing Drugs".

That doesn't sound like anything to joke about. I hope they're not allowed in cycling.

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

Enough with this stupidity.

Susan

 

[Martin318is]

I am re-opening this thread but it will exist only on three conditions.

1) that all subsequent posts stay at least as friendly as those above

2) that all subsequent posts are at least as silly as the 36 above this one.

3) See condition 2

 

[antares1]

There are some contemporary cyclists who have a cigarette once in a while, usually with drinks. Henk Vogels, for one.

His dad rode pro for a cigar company when the then UCi were cool with it.
http://www.hvcf.com.au/Henk%20Images/hv_snr_11.JPG

 

[nobilis]

I've got a bit of a problem.

A forum user reciently convinced me to start a raw food vegan diet but I want to keep smoking, surely this is cooking my vegetables?

lol, cigarettes are definitely processed, I have actually thought of that before

 

[WonderLance]

lol, cigarettes are definitely processed, I have actually thought of that before

Well, you know that thing that you like, I liked it before it was cool.

 

[forty four]

YES!

Thats right smoking is good for cyclists. I've trained with lots of protour riders ( so I must know what im talking about) who enjoy a puff including a recent tour winner, in fact his doctor prescribed him half a pack a day! I used to be cat 4 pack fodder now after two years smoking I'm racing against pros in cat 1.

Stanford researchers have discovered that low doses of nicotine promote new blood vessel growth so its basically legal epo it also leads to lower levels of stress and increased concentration both vital for elite athlete.

Pro riders are paranoid about getting sick, you ask any smoker if he gets a lot of colds a year. They'll answer not that many!

If your looking for a legal performance enhancement I say get on it. They should start testing for it.

How many of you enjoy a relaxing puff while you smoke the competition?

does some good kush count it does dilate blood vessels and airways and is often used by people with asthma(which i had as kid but coincidentally went away when i started using cannabis before that constant albuterol).
in all seriousness as someone who uses cannabis i cant say i notice any difference in my racing performance or vo2 power output hr etc... i do know that alcohol really ****s up physical ability that i have experienced for sure very noticeable. im a cat 3 in socal so not pro but its reasonably fast out here. ciggs on the other hand cause me instant asthma and breathing problems always have. plus god knows what those capitalists add to those to get more people smoking so to be avoided plus they kill you. then there are vaporizers which do not produce smoke or combustion there are no negatives at all with this method of ingestion. most tobacco smokers are too stupid lazy or dont care to do this though. cannabis users seem to care about there health more and vaporizers are becoming very popular these days.

 

[forty four]

I know a lot of scrawny climber-types who would chew nicotine gum to supress their appetite (they're all pretty much anorexic, anyway), but that was never for me.

I prefer a good strong smoke. Gitanes (with no filter) were always my favourite. I worked hard to keep it moderate, though. Even mid-season I'd only go through half a pack on a 200km ride. That's a lot of hours looking cool...

If it was early season (and rainy, of course), I'd have to resort to a patch. Not nearly as cool. To make up for the loss in 'cool factor' I'd colour it black with a permanent marker and put it over one eye, sort of like a pirate. That was VERY cool!

Upon reflection, it might of been the benzene leaching out of the marker that made those cold, wet days so acceptable. I have to add that I've lost partial sight out of my favoured eye, and my short term memory isn't quite what it used to be, so maybe it wasn't such a good idea afterall.

What were we talking about? Oh yeah, smoking...

Smoking is totally cool!

at first i thought you maybe had really put a nicotine patch over your eye. i was like 'oh man hes gonna go ****ing blind for sure'
on a side note since nicotine is so very toxic its a great insecticide soak a half pack of ciggs in gallon of water over night boil and spray on any species of insect they will quickly die of course it will poison mammals as well particularly mans best friend.
all jokes aside i hate the tobacco companies they represent all that is wrong with america and its business practices there should be public executions for some of the people in charge evil greedy murderers put simply. if most of you knew the inside details and decisions these companies have made since the 50's you would all agree. at the very least anyone dumb enough to smoke and support these criminals should at least use natural tobacco with no additives there are brands like that out there.

 

[forty four]

I saw an article or two that mentioned that, in the raid of Popo's house, the Italian cops took away hashish in addition to his computer and cell phone. Does that count?

popo had hash in his pad thats funny ill give him some to replace what they took if i see him at the toc lol.

 

[forty four]

Sounds like any other PED to me. Since when did possible carcinogenic properties ever make an athlete hesitate to dope?

The only problem I have in all this is, how do you keep a cigarette lighted when moving at 30 mph or faster? And are you allowed to borrow a lighter from the team car, or is that cheating? Are there penalties for dropping butts on the road? Lots of unexplored issues here.

they stay lit fine and those torch style lighters work in wind and they already litter so no worries there.(based on actual experience)

 

[Anonymous]

Swimmers are doing this:

 

[WonderLance]

 

[Fester]

If the vampires go after nicotine as well, pro cycling might as well just shut up shop. Not only do we have to tolerate vegans, now this. And it's illogical; as DR Ferrari might say: cigarettes don't kill people, lung cancer does.

 

[the student]

-- The tumors in the mice developed fresh blood vessels, and the cancers grew rapidly

from the article... so its totally good for you... you smoke create more blood vessels... increase the chance of cancers... which will grow faster... so they have to put you on chemo treatment... which gets you very very lean... so i cant see the drawbacks