M
Marianne
Guest
From the UCI website it looks like the UCI considers salbutamol to be bad at 100ng/ml unless a rider
is asthmatic, and then it lets you get up to 1000ng/ml. The CPLD (French anti-doping agency) permits
its use if an athlete has a doctor's certificate confirming him or her as asthmatic, and if he or
she shows up at less than 100 nanograms per millilitre in competition. According to CPLD, Galdeano's
half-dozen over the limit tests during last years TdF included 796, 904 and 1,360ng/ml. If so then
even by UCI rules Galdeano should have been pitched from the tour last year for his sample of
1360ng/ml? So I guess I am confused. Do CPLD and UCI use independent tests and ignore each other's
results? What is the limit according to UCI? Why are the limits different? What is considered a
theraputic amount for asthmatics to have in their system? Another question I have is how many pros
have asthma anyhow?
Eurosport.com has the following today (6May2003): "While Galdeano's prescriptions are legitimate,
there is some speculation about the legality of his use of Salbutamol. According to a report in the
French daily Le Monde, 30 percent of professional cyclists complain of having asthmatic symptoms,
and therefore justify their use of drugs like Salbutamol, which can offer the same
performance-enhancing benefits as anabolic steroids. The general population, by comparison, shows an
asthma incident rate of just 7 percent.
Cycling professionals insist that the exertion of a bike race means six times the regular amount of
oxygen inhaled, which also means six times more pollen and pollution.
In the case of Galdeano, French doping officials found that his levels far exceeded the normal
dosage, further fueling suspicion among the public at-large over what Le Monde sarcastically labeled
"a peloton crippled by asthma."
So - Are symptoms of asthma induced or aggravated by cycling at the pro level? Their oxygen intake
is greater, so they inevitably take in more pollen/pollution etc… But I don't know, I am still
struggling with the percentages – 7% in the general population with asthma to 30% of the peloton is
not statistically insignificant! Does anyone have any insight?
is asthmatic, and then it lets you get up to 1000ng/ml. The CPLD (French anti-doping agency) permits
its use if an athlete has a doctor's certificate confirming him or her as asthmatic, and if he or
she shows up at less than 100 nanograms per millilitre in competition. According to CPLD, Galdeano's
half-dozen over the limit tests during last years TdF included 796, 904 and 1,360ng/ml. If so then
even by UCI rules Galdeano should have been pitched from the tour last year for his sample of
1360ng/ml? So I guess I am confused. Do CPLD and UCI use independent tests and ignore each other's
results? What is the limit according to UCI? Why are the limits different? What is considered a
theraputic amount for asthmatics to have in their system? Another question I have is how many pros
have asthma anyhow?
Eurosport.com has the following today (6May2003): "While Galdeano's prescriptions are legitimate,
there is some speculation about the legality of his use of Salbutamol. According to a report in the
French daily Le Monde, 30 percent of professional cyclists complain of having asthmatic symptoms,
and therefore justify their use of drugs like Salbutamol, which can offer the same
performance-enhancing benefits as anabolic steroids. The general population, by comparison, shows an
asthma incident rate of just 7 percent.
Cycling professionals insist that the exertion of a bike race means six times the regular amount of
oxygen inhaled, which also means six times more pollen and pollution.
In the case of Galdeano, French doping officials found that his levels far exceeded the normal
dosage, further fueling suspicion among the public at-large over what Le Monde sarcastically labeled
"a peloton crippled by asthma."
So - Are symptoms of asthma induced or aggravated by cycling at the pro level? Their oxygen intake
is greater, so they inevitably take in more pollen/pollution etc… But I don't know, I am still
struggling with the percentages – 7% in the general population with asthma to 30% of the peloton is
not statistically insignificant! Does anyone have any insight?