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Doping Guide for AG Racers

Ralph MooreRalph Moore
in General Training Discussions

OK, The title was just to get your attention.  I want to state categorically that I am AGAINST this kind of thing if for no other reason than my deep respect for the law of unintended consequences.  But, that being said... the following article was interesting and certainly makes one wonder who out there in AG raceland might not be so hesitant to augment their performance.

http://www.outsideonline.com/fitness/Drug-Test.html

Thoughts?

Comments

  • Coach RichCoach Rich
    Yep. This article has been around for a while and is then I bring up in conversations about the effects of doping, the temptation for AG'ers, especially masters, and the potential paths that masters athletes could take for both athletic and quality of life issues. 



    I don't bike race, but apparently much of the SoCal peleton, especially masters, are juicing. 



    I recall doing the Mulholland Challenge back in '10 or '11, when I was pretty fit and basically rode all of my tri club friends off my wheel, falling in with 2-3x older guys in Amgen Master kit...who absolutely ripped my legs off. In the after ride food line one of them was talking to his buddy about his 35yo daughter..
  • Dino SartiDino Sarti
    Better living through science! I love it. I think it would fascinating to try this experiment.

    I don't make my living through sports. I train/race for fun. It would be cool to see how much potential one could unlock.

    People will disagree. I get it. I am not trying to offend anyone or engage in any moral debate. I just think it sounds cool. Sorry. I am have always suffered from a bit of moral ambiguity in my personal life.... image
  • Al TruscottAl Truscott

    Risks are real: EPO, blood turns to sludge >> heart attack, stroke; Testosterone, effect on already present, but silent, prostate cancer and others; HGH, neurologic issues, diabetes, elevated cholesterol. I've got enough risks and damage just from crashing on the bike.

    I spent 40 years as an Ob-Gyn, and saw the shift from Estrogen as a miracle youth drug to a known causal agent for heart attack, stroke, breast cancer. Why should we think Testosterone for older men is any less risky? Our bodies change over time, their response to hormones and pharmaceutical agents changes to, we mess with the process at our peril. IMO, doctors who tout themselves as "Regenerative Medicine" Specialists are preying on our vanity without regard to the benefit to anyone or thing other than their ego and wallet.

  • steve Beyersteve Beyer
    Very well said Al!!
  • Paul HoughPaul Hough
    I think cheating in age group triathlon is pandemic in master's age groups. In the past year or so there have been a number of well-publicized age group PED busts in the U.S., Brazil, Italy, and Austria. And that is with just the most minimal level of testing. In fact, AG testing is extremely rare so these busts are just the tip of the iceberg. Case in point, years ago, my local tri club invited a new sponsor to talk at the monthly meeting. I could barely believe my ears, but the sponsor was an anti-aging doc pushing synthetic hormones to triathletes. I had an argument with the club president afterwards, but they did stop accepting his print ads. Meanwhile, this doc is a MOP level triathlete on the local circuit, and still very much in business. T-therapy has exploded in use over the last several years and you would have to be extremely naïve to think that older folks aren't widely abusing this. I've reconciled myself to the fact that a good percentage of my competition is probably using PEDs but it's a poor choice for the following reasons:

    1) It's against the rules...cheating pure and simple.
    2) It's probably bad for your long run health...see Al's comments.
    3) The anti-aging doctors are only in it for the money...they will not give you the real facts.
    4) If you are busted, you will never live it down. The ST crowd will rake you over the coals endlessly aka Kevin Moats.
    5) See #1.
  • Juan VergaraJuan Vergara
    CONTROL WHAT WE CAN CONTROL!!!
    As long as WTC does not test KONA qualifiers, to confirm their slots, there is only thing we can do to beat the cheaters:
    WORK EVEN HARDER!!!
    That's what we love doing anyway.
  • Shaughn SimmonsShaughn Simmons
    What Al said..............
  • Ralph MooreRalph Moore
    Shit, if I was gonna spend 7k$ I would buy a new bike with no side effects (unless my wife found out)
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