I read this article on the cat 3 guy who got 2 years for hgh and epo at the gran fondo in NY. Crazy how had he taken the stuff 2 days earlier he probably would not have been caught. (last use was 5 days before testing when they say epo undetectable after 7.)
I would like to hear what the man said about what his body does when he stops taking it. Does he suck really bad, goes back to cat 4 speed? Or does he keep his fitness/strength/breath and just doesn't improve.
It makes me think of the lifetime ban. If a guy dopes for 10 years, getting better and better every year, then the sport changes, the testing beats the dopers, and everyone stops doping, does he have an advantage over someone who has never used the stuff, even if he has been clean for a year? I think so, I think a lifetime ban for cheating is good.
Maybe I'm wrong about this, but a bodybuilder that spends 10 years building his body using steroids doesn't just lose all that muscle because he stopped using. He may lose 10% of what he could maintain while using but I am positive there is residual effects that don't just leave. I would think a 3 month winter block of being able to train 30 hours/week and recover twice as fast would be benefit an athlete the rest of the season with or without continued doping.
ReplyDeleteIt makes sense to me. You spend a ton of time gaining performance, then when you stop using, I don't think you would lose much performance, I just think you don't make any noticeable gains. Lets pretend some kid from eastern europe starts doping when he's 18, and does it till he's 35. Gets caught. Serves 2 year ban. Then rides clean and wins a gold. Do you think that could would have had a shot had he not doped for 17 years?
ReplyDeleteTotal hypothetical, of course.
DeleteI would have to agree. I don't have any scientific knowledge or proof to back it, but if someone is doping for say just a 3 month winter block and that's it, they are able to put a lot more miles, hard efforts and with less recovery time, then let's say us 'normal, undoped folks'. Surely there are gains there that would last into that season and maybe even the next two or three. I think you can even argue amateur local riders, like us, who don't dope are still benefiting from all the previous years of riding and putting in the time. I'll take myself for example, I haven't been able to train near as much this season as the three past prior seasons, but I'm still a hell of a lot faster than I was three seasons ago when all I was doing was basically building from scratch. I think that right there proves that in a sport where muscle memory is key, due to the repetitiveness, that previous years of training are still getting me through today. Add dope to the equation and those previous hours spent in the saddle, doped, would likely even get a rider further and for longer.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, I believe there was some study done on running sprinters and the effects of doping after they quit. They were still able to run at nearly the doping levels, just were not able to train/recover as hard. Once the body has made the physiological adaptation to the level of training provided by doping, that doesn't just go away. I'd guess performance will decline somewhat if they are no longer adding extra red blood cells though.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was going to be a post about Charlie Sheen's awesome scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
ReplyDeleteTotal let down, bro.