Doping drug gives no edge to serious cyclists in study
Jun 30, 2017 0:57:58 GMT
kickstandman likes this
Post by kickstandman on Jun 30, 2017 0:57:58 GMT
Doping drug gives no edge to serious cyclists in study
CARLA K. JOHNSON | AP | Published — Thursday 29 June 2017
The blood booster at the heart of the Lance Armstrong doping scandal does not improve real-world cycling performance, according to the most rigorous study yet of how the protein EPO affects athletes.
The results, published Thursday in the journal Lancet Haematology , may convince some to pay more attention to the harms of supposed performance-enhancing drugs by punching holes in the myths surrounding them, researchers said.
Dutch scientists staged a bike race up a mountain to study whether erythropoietin (EPO) lives up to its reputation, transporting a large group of avid cyclists to southern France in a tour bus and putting on a grueling day of cycling for them.
“It was hectic and stressful, but also a lot of fun and exhilarating,” said Jules Heuberger of the Center for Human Drug Research in Leiden, Netherlands, who led the effort and describes himself as “an active, fanatic cyclist.”
Previous studies of EPO in sports have been flawed, Heuberger said. Participants weren’t trained athletes, knew they were getting EPO, or testing was limited to short bursts of strength and endurance.
EPO is among more than 300 substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Cycling’s anti-doping unit is again gearing up for comprehensive testing at this year’s Tour de France, planning an average of eight tests per day, always including the race leader and winner of each stage, plus six others. The race starts Saturday in Duesseldorf, Germany.
Continued: www.arabnews.com/node/1122176/sports
I don't really buy this; but we will see. Presented for the sake of balance.
The article ends saying these test subjects were not given the big doses that the professional cyclists get. That probably has all the effect in the world on their performance. I read quite a bit on this, cyclists couldn't go to sleep for fear of their heart rate slowing down so much they'd die, they would get up out of bed to ride a stationary cycle in their hotel room.
