Tour de France riders are inhaling carbon monoxide in 'super altitude' recipe
Escape Collective found Tour de France teams like Visma-Lease a Bike and UAE Team Emirates using carbon monoxide for altitude training. This controversial method, not banned by WADA, aims to boost aerobic capacity and is part of the "super altitude" trend. Concerns arise over potential misuse.
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Escape Collective has uncovered that multiple Tour de France teams are utilizing the controversial practice of inhaling carbon monoxide to enhance their altitude training. Teams like Visma-Lease a Bike and UAE Team Emirates have access to a carbon monoxide rebreather device, allowing precise dosing of the gas into the lungs. While not banned by WADA, inhaling carbon monoxide for performance gains is a risky and potentially powerful method. Research suggests it can impact aerobic capacity significantly. The technique is part of a new trend called "super altitude," aiming to maximize the benefits of altitude training. While some teams use carbon monoxide for measurement purposes only, concerns are raised about potential misuse for performance enhancement. The World Anti-Doping Agency has not clarified its stance on this practice, leading to debates within the cycling and scientific communities. As teams strive for legal advantages in altitude training, the concept of "super altitude" is emerging as a way to push the boundaries of performance enhancement within the sport.
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12 commentsSource: Olympic rower who is a friend.
That's the crazy thing about high level sports. Either it's banned or everyone does it. There is no in between.
I don't think I would mess around with that stuff.
Surely it was the go-karting and the team-bonding...
I get wanting to win at all costs but this is nuts.
I’m not sure this is dangerous, per se, as long as the dosage is measured. As you learn in school, CO is only poisonous because it replaces oxygen in your blood. There’s no negative long term effects as long as the dose never reduces the oxygen mix of air beyond what a human can survive on.
This is being used to simulate altitude training, so I don’t see how you can ban it. It’ll just mean all teams go back to altitude training instead. We don’t consider altitude training doping because that would be an insane position to take. Would you ban riders from mountainous regions from cycling?
That second point also means it’s not being dangerously configured because we know the oxygen % levels at different altitudes.
An interesting article, nonetheless.
> Other details like optimal dosage are still very much in question as well. [...] Aside from the risk of death, acute carbon monoxide poisoning can cause lasting health problems, including delayed neurological damage. [..."]But if you inhale carbon monoxide, the half-life is 300 minutes. If you get toxic levels, you’re really screwed” because the gas can’t leave your body for hours. [...] And in especially acute cases, victims would need access to a hospital equipped with a special hyperbaric chamber for treatment.
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