http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2007/jun07/jun28news2
So is this the new face of sports marketing for cycling? It’s not about getting finish line results anymore…the sponsors get just as much if not more air time through drug allegations and suspensions. (this is a sarcastic statement)
One serious question - why did they use a Fassa Bortolo pic of Petacchi for this article?
That sucks. Guess it makes things easier for Boonen, though.
re: Fassa - AleJet was at his best when he was racing for Fassa, wasn’t he?
SUspended, yes, but that is a pro-forma move as required by the Pro Tour code of ethics. He has a waiver for the Salbutemol (Sp?) and they’re tryi to determine if he somehow has highe concentrations that he should. He’s admitted that he sometimes takes a puff or two extra, but that shouldn’t be enough to throw off your readings for a single day, which is the only day he tested “non-negative.”
As someone who takes an inhaler I’ll say that the doses administered by those thing can and do vary greatly depending on the amount of medicine left in the can and the amount of aerosol left that dispenses the puff.
Bob
Genuinely curious about this - it seems like a lot of pro cyclists use inhalers - air quality, riding outside all the time, etc. No issue with this per say if it’s valid - I’m just wondering do pro athletes from other outdoor sports have waivers for inhaler usage to the extent it seems pro cyclists do? Runners, soccer players, mountain bikers, triathletes, etc?
He has asthma and he tested “non negative” for an asthma inhalant which he is approved to take.
If he misses the Tour because of this, I think this does indicate there has been a real change in cycling’s attitude towards drugs. The witch hunt is on! In any other sport, this would not have resulted in a supension by a team.
Well, per the Pro Tour license, he has to be suspended until the allegation is cleared up…I’d bet me makes the Tour.
Bob
**Genuinely curious about this - it seems like a lot of pro cyclists use inhalers - air quality, riding outside all the time, etc. No issue with this per say if it’s valid - I’m just wondering do pro athletes from other outdoor sports have waivers for inhaler usage to the extent it seems pro cyclists do? Runners, soccer players, mountain bikers, triathletes, etc? **
It’s not just pros. I can comment on swimming. I attend lots and lots of swim meets and its pretty hard to attend a meet at any level and not see a couple kids using inhalers. A dispraportionate number of the top swimmers in the US are asthmatic. Actually this whole waiver thing got started when an asthmatic swimmer got a medal taken away at the Olympics back in the early 70’s. There are debates about why swimming seems to attract asthmatics but the bottom line is that these types of waivers are not at all uncommon in swimming and I presume they are common in other sports as well. (that is, at the level at which you need a waiver - there will be no testing at the summer league meet I’m going to tonight but I’m sure at least a few kids will be packing inhalers).
I have no reason to beleive they are not legitimately asmatic but it does not take them long to learn that it is a good thing to hit the inhaler just before a race. I have seen kids pass them around on a few occasions which is a little unnerving.
Well, per the Pro Tour license, he has to be suspended until the allegation is cleared up.
Based on that, shouldn’t Unibet be in the tour too then? It’s all a farce…
There are debates about why swimming seems to attract asthmatics
For many years (at least since the 1970’s, to my knowledge, and almost certainly earlier) We (sports physicians) have been recommending swimming to asthmatic kids because warm, humid air tends to help relieve bronchoconstriction.
Phil
Quick questions:
I am under the impression that the use of an inhaler (Albuterol) would not have a performace enhancing effect unless the user was actually constricted or in-need. IOW - It takes one to a normal level but not above a normal level - at least as far as breathing is concerned.
But, isn’t it also a stimulant? Is it a performance enhancing stimulant?
Is this accurate? Is Salbutamol different than Albuterol?
David K
I am under the impression that the use of an inhaler (Albuterol) would not have a performace enhancing effect unless the user was actually constricted or in-need. IOW - It takes one to a normal level but not above a normal level - at least as far as breathing is concerned.
True. There is a limit to how much you can open the passages, so to speak, so you’d need to need it to see any significant benefits.
But, isn’t it also a stimulant? Is it a performance enhancing stimulant?
It is a beta agonist, however, you’d have to be getting it into the body in really large doses to make it performance enhancing, and then you’d flunk the drug test. (IIRC, there are maximum allowable concentrations for albuterol and it’s cousins. I don’t have my drug guide on me at the moment. So many to keep track of…)
Salbutamol is essentially the European cousin of albuterol.
Phil
I think this will blow over pretty quickly. The italian cyclist caught on tape getting injected with what is supposedly EPO is probably a bigger story.
“Salbutamol is essentially the European cousin of albuterol.”
it’s actually the european twin. it’s the same drug. ventolin and proventil are the most well-known trade names (glaxo and shering). there are other beta-2-agonists that are its cousins made by other drug companies.
it’s legal inhaled, w/doctor’s note, it’s illegal in pill form. beta-2-agonists are illegal because there is some evidence in the literature of anabolic effects. recently somebody got popped for clenbuterol, typically a large animal drug used by veterinarians. from the mid 80s up through now (for some stupid reason) athletes have been getting popped for clenbuterol.
if you do take albuterol in pill form you’ll notice a pretty big difference over inhaling it. but the concentrations in your blood will be a lot higher, and for that reason i assume (tho i do not know) that there’s probably a threshold that gets you a positive test.
I think this will blow over pretty quickly. The italian cyclist caught on tape getting injected with what is supposedly EPO is probably a bigger story.
Huh? I haven’t heard that one yet…linky please??
I’m getting the feeling that we are going to have another last minute scandal just like last year.
DAve in VA
I think this will blow over pretty quickly. The italian cyclist caught on tape getting injected with what is supposedly EPO is probably a bigger story.
Who? What? When? Where?
We all know the answer to “why?”
I’m getting my passport together just in case they need riders at the last minute.
It may be the case where teams will take anyone there with a bike and a clear drug test
And before anyone thinks about replying about how I’d never last a day in the pro peloton - I’m kidding.
**Genuinely curious about this - it seems like a lot of pro cyclists use inhalers - air quality, riding outside all the time, etc. No issue with this per say if it’s valid - I’m just wondering do pro athletes from other outdoor sports have waivers for inhaler usage to the extent it seems pro cyclists do? Runners, soccer players, mountain bikers, triathletes, etc? **
It’s not just pros. I can comment on swimming. I attend lots and lots of swim meets and its pretty hard to attend a meet at any level and not see a couple kids using inhalers. A dispraportionate number of the top swimmers in the US are asthmatic. Actually this whole waiver thing got started when an asthmatic swimmer got a medal taken away at the Olympics back in the early 70’s. There are debates about why swimming seems to attract asthmatics but the bottom line is that these types of waivers are not at all uncommon in swimming and I presume they are common in other sports as well. (that is, at the level at which you need a waiver - there will be no testing at the summer league meet I’m going to tonight but I’m sure at least a few kids will be packing inhalers).
I have no reason to beleive they are not legitimately asmatic but it does not take them long to learn that it is a good thing to hit the inhaler just before a race. I have seen kids pass them around on a few occasions which is a little unnerving. I think about half the US swim team at the Atlanta games had been diagnosed with asthma. Obviously, some portion of the swim team would probably have asthma, just as some portion of the population as a whole. Being in indoor pools with all those chemicals floating around in the air might tend to cause asthmatic reactions in some people that would not otherwise have asthma. But, I know that all the medication that my five year old has for his asthma are on the banned list. This includes the inhaled steroid that he takes on a daily basis, which is a fairly common treatment for his type of asthma (virally as opposed to allergy induced). So, in a sport where races are won and lost by hundredths of seconds (I myself once lost a 500 was .012 seconds and won one by .03 seconds), having the diagnosis that allows you to take otherwise banned drugs must be really convenient. Given all that athletes do to achieve success, it hardly seems a stretch to believe that some people managed to get a asthma diagnosis so they could use a PED.
“if you do take albuterol in pill form you’ll notice a pretty big difference over inhaling it. but the concentrations in your blood will be a lot higher, and for that reason i assume (tho i do not know) that there’s probably a threshold that gets you a positive test.”
There is a limit, 1000 ng/ml. Pettachi was at 1320. Now the question is what is the normal range expected when someone uses an inhaler properly.
I think this will blow over pretty quickly. The italian cyclist caught on tape getting injected with what is supposedly EPO is probably a bigger story.
Paris Hilton cycles???