State of Peloton 2023

[Salvarani]

Well, I said it was probably good old blood doping going on at least.

Other stuff is just a goose hunt.

 

[Rob5091]

Well, I said it was probably good old blood doping going on at least.

Other stuff is just a goose hunt.

Somethings just never go out of fashion ... but the WADA people need to be quick off the mark or have a "snitch" on the inside ...
https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/marine-worm-haemoglobin-could-be-the-new-frontier-of-blood-doping/

Anti-doping rules now allow for testing during the night when justified and some teams underwent surprise anti-doping blood tests just an hour before the start of some races in 2023.

“Sea worm haemoglobin works very quickly in the body after injection but it also has a very short lifespan,” Adeline Molina of the L’Agence française de lutte contre le dopage (AFLD) told l’Equipe. “This is a product to look for in competition. But it is visible in a blood test.”

 

[Rico044]

According to the story a well known cyclist contacts the drug manufacture about obtaining said drug. Drug manufacture contacts anti-doping and provides 10 pages of emails showing this encounter. This occurred in 2020 and the anti-doping authorities have done nothing?! WTF.

 

[Rob5091]

According to the story a well known cyclist contacts the drug manufacture about obtaining said drug. Drug manufacture contacts anti-doping and provides 10 pages of emails showing this encounter. This occurred in 2020 and the anti-doping authorities have done nothing?! WTF.

It's the old problem of someone thinking to commit a crime and not actually doing it. Since the cyclist apparently never got hold of it, he/she never committed a crime. Also in 2020 at the height of Covid, they did test the "lugworm drug" on Covid patients, so it might have been (although unlikely) connected to Covid.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

According to the story a well known cyclist contacts the drug manufacture about obtaining said drug. Drug manufacture contacts anti-doping and provides 10 pages of emails showing this encounter. This occurred in 2020 and the anti-doping authorities have done nothing?! WTF.

Rider approaches drug company off his own bat, in his own name? Not via a doctor/team representative/pseudonym? Seems extraordinary/careless.

 

[Rob5091]

Rider approaches drug company off his own bat, in his own name? Not via a doctor/team representative/pseudonym? Seems extraordinary/careless.

I think that's the most extraordinary thing about the whole story.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Would such a product be on any WADA list?

 

[yaco]

I have my doubts that you could currently test for this drug and prove it falls under the WADA's banned list. Professional athletes are always seeking to ontain an edge so will look into new substances/products.

 

[pastronef]

the French producers of the substance contacted AFLD (French antidoping agency) informing them about it.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1726257107786506245

View: https://twitter.com/300wNeilW/status/1726257107786506245


but I don't think they are on WADA's red list for now

and what's not on Wada list, well, it's not banned.

 

[Rob5091]

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/marine-worm-haemoglobin-could-be-the-new-frontier-of-blood-doping/

The Cycling Anti-doping Foundation carried out the reanalysis of 800 in-and out-of-competition blood and urine samples after Operation Aderlass but the CADF said none discovered a haemoglobin-based oxygen carrier (HBOC). HBOC are banned under the WADA anti-doping code but the lugworm haemoglobin is difficult to detect due to its very short half-life.

 

[Netserk]

This is at least a plausible candidate explanation for the state of the peloton. One way or another, some kind of blood doping makes the most sense.

 

[Rob5091]

It would explain how on stage 19 of the Tour the winner can be so tired of racing for nearly 3 weeks but he can still average 49 km/h over 172 km.

Edit - add - Marcos Maynar talks
https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling...nner-go-at-indurain-speeds-in-his-time-trials

Training alone doesn't do what the Tour de France winner has done at Induráin speeds in his time trials, comparing the structures of one and the other. Something other than technology is also there.

 

[Salvarani]

the French producers of the substance contacted AFLD (French antidoping agency) informing them about it.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1726257107786506245

View: https://twitter.com/300wNeilW/status/1726257107786506245


but I don't think they are on WADA's red list for now

and what's not on Wada list, well, it's not banned.

Exactly, if it is not on the list you can technically not be banned. "I did nothing wrong... since it is not banned. I am not doping" is probably how one justifies it, despite the advantage and enhancement of performance it brings.

Well, good on the company for contacting Wada about it then. At least they have done their part. It is then up to Wada to put it on their list and test/find a technique to detect it, if they suspect this something that may be used a lot. Who knows.

This is why the cheaters are just miles ahead of the anti-doping services. You need intel to know what you should look for and how you can detect it.

 

[Rob5091]

This is why the cheaters are just miles ahead of the anti-doping services. You need intel to know what you should look for and how you can detect it.

There will always be a window of opportunity for using a new product before it's discovered by the anti-dopers and banned, but in the lugworm blood instance it seems the company behind it went straight to WADA.
What is interesting is we've heard no more on the thyroid medication that is supposed to be used in the peloton.

 

[Netserk]

Exactly, if it is not on the list you can technically not be banned. "I did nothing wrong... since it is not banned. I am not doping" is probably how one justifies it, despite the advantage and enhancement of performance it brings.

Well, good on the company for contacting Wada about it then. At least they have done their part. It is then up to Wada to put it on their list and test/find a technique to detect it, if they suspect this something that may be used a lot. Who knows.

This is why the cheaters are just miles ahead of the anti-doping services. You need intel to know what you should look for and how you can detect it.

It is on the list. They don’t have to specify each and every banned substance, but classes of substances (and methods).

 

[Salvarani]

It is on the list. They don’t have to specify each and every banned substance, but classes of substances (and methods).

I was speaking in general...

 

[Forever The Best]

Watched a couple of stages of Vuelta at the time of the race. It was absolutely awful. Didn't even post about it at the forum. 1-2-3 from same team and no competition lol.
I wonder if popularity of cycling is decreasing? Would be an interesting study.

 

[Netserk]

I wonder if popularity of cycling is decreasing? Would be an interesting study.

From what I've seen, number of viewers are going up.

 

[Forever The Best]

From what I've seen, number of viewers are going up.

Thanks. Maybe Netflix effect?

 

[Netserk]

Started before that, and I think too few have watched the series there for that to matter much.

 

[Rob5091]

In Flamanville, France, you don't eat dairy! Damn those cows!

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/do...le-bossuyt-and-aerts-management-warns-racers/
The letter advised riders not to eat any local dairy products and to bring their own food from Belgium.

Aerts and Bossuyt hypothesised that their positives came about because dairy farmers may be using Letrozole to synchronise cows' estrus for fertilization.

"We still base this on our hypothesis that Toon and Shari tested positive after consuming dairy products in Flamanville.

"Our hypothesis is that their positive test is due to this, but this has not been confirmed by laboratory analyses," ISEA Sport Management said.

 

[rallybanana]

There's a nuclear power plant in Flamanville. I think it's just the three-eyed cows you have to worry about.

 

[42x16ss]

Thanks. Maybe Netflix effect?

It worked wonders for F1, so probably likely. Just have to be prepared for casual fans trying to appear informed

 

[42x16ss]

According to the story a well known cyclist contacts the drug manufacture about obtaining said drug. Drug manufacture contacts anti-doping and provides 10 pages of emails showing this encounter. This occurred in 2020 and the anti-doping authorities have done nothing?! WTF.

This is why pretty much all the big busts have been by police targeting the logistics side of doping, not from ADA's testing - Puerto, Festina, 2001 Giro, Freiberg etc

 

[Rob5091]

Ok, here's a dumb question, which I hope some knowledgeable person can answer.

I just read about a guy who got diabetes under control by cutting out carbs (if you're interested the article's HERE). Apparently the guys in the peloton are filling themselves up with carbs at an incredible rate. Will they all get diabetes or is the fact it's being burnt up as quick as it's being eaten not cause any problems?