The method is not new, but it seems to be popular right now. The top cycling teams use carbon monoxide to measure performance. However, it can also be used for doping.
The inhalation of potentially deadly carbon monoxide is causing controversy at the Tour de France. Top stars Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard have admitted to using the gas to measure performance. The method involves a test with a so-called carbon monoxide rebreather device before and after a high-altitude training camp to measure the success of the camp. This is not prohibited under the World Anti-Doping Agency’s regulations.
The web magazine “Escape Collective” had revealed that the method was used by the UAE, Visma and Israel-Premier Tech teams – all three teams admitted this. The German team Red Bull confirmed to Sportschau that they do not have such a device or use one.
Pogacar’s statements are surprising
There are two things that make the carbon monoxide issue suspect: Firstly, the same technical equipment can be used to use the inhalation method instead of the rebreathing method. Studies have shown that this can lead to an increase in performance because more oxygen can be transported via the blood.
The second suspicious moment was caused by Pogacar himself. He denied ever having heard of it when he was confronted with it in the final week of the Tour. “I always thought it only came out of the exhaust. But maybe I’m too uneducated,” said the 25-year-old. The next day, the Slovenian backtracked and said he had misunderstood it.
Pogacar explained quite precisely how the test works. He did it once before a high-altitude camp. Apparently it was never repeated. “The woman who was supposed to do it just didn’t show up,” said Pogacar. It was just a simple test. Vingegaard’s Visma team said they had been working with Norwegian professor Bent Rønnestad for years and only used the method in his presence.
Source: Stern
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