The UCI has officially asked theWorld Anti-Doping Agency to take a position regarding the use of carbon monoxide by professional cycling teams. The practice had emerged during the last Tour de Francedominated by Tadej Pogacar.
Tour de France, carbon monoxide for cyclists: benefits and suspicions. “Doping? No, but let’s set limits”
Cosimo Cito
The statement
“The UCI clearly asks teams and cyclists to do not resort to repeated inhalation of carbon monoxide. Only the medical use of a single inhalation of monoxide in a controlled medical environment could be acceptable,” the world cycling governing body said in a press release issued after a meeting in Nice. “The UCI also formally requests the Wada to take a position on the use of this method by athletes”.
The danger of repeated inhalations
During the governing body’s annual seminar held on the French Riviera, the UCI warned teams about the dangers associated with this potentially lethal gas. The use of carbon monoxide in the world of professional cycling emerged on the second rest day of the 2024 Tour: Visma-Lease a Bike, UAE Team Emirates e Israel-Premier Tech they would have used carbon monoxide respirators to measure blood values and maximize the benefits of retreats at altitude. But there are those in the scientific field who suspect that the abuse of this practice could lead to improved performance in a fraudulent manner.
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The admissions of Pogacar and Vingegaard
Is Pogacaris Vingegaard have admitted the use of this practice. When asked at a press conference, Pogacar initially seemed unaware, but later admitted having used it once under medical supervision. “It’s a device to test how your body reacts to altitude,” explained the three-time Tour de France winner. “We blow into a balloon for a minute as part of a test that we have to repeat every two weeks. I only did the first part because the girl who was supposed to supervise the second part never showed up. We don’t breathe it every day,” he added.
The Movement for credible cycling: “It should be banned”
WADA is currently investigating the matter. Meanwhile, the Movement for Credible Cycling (MPCC), which includes eight world teams and a total of 385 cyclists, has taken a firm stand against carbon monoxide. In a statement, the MPCC said: “Given the health risks (potentially fatal), the technically complex and artificial aspects (improper use of technical and therapeutic means to artificially create physiological changes) and the current World Anti-Doping Code, The MPCC can only firmly discourage the use of this technique until it is banned.” “Carbon monoxide may explain the careers of some people we didn’t know a year or a year and a half ago,” he said venomously Romain Bardet in a recent interview.
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