Re: 2013 Cycling Thread
I wasn't asking you and I don't what your problem is with my honest question to Titleist, but don't bother to answer I don't care what you have to say.
And because you asked so nicely, I will admit I was fooled by LA and was wrong. Happy now?
Sorry, I really wasn't trying to be abrasive there. And, I deleted it since I need to hold myself to pledge to minimizie my harping on doping but hadn't noticed you had replied first or I'd had left it.
Even though you don't care what I have to say, I will briefly add that while the former king was oxygen vector enhancement, things evolve and new techniques rise to prominence. With O2 vectoring somewhat limited now, the expected evolution has occurred and the latest is a wide realm of products that allow one to lose an enormous amount of weight and still maintain a very high power threshold -- well past the point that would be possible naturally. Thus, one is able to crank out a much higher watts/kg per kg. Most are receptor antagonists that will get used in conjunctions with products that enhance nucleotide synthesis. It's a winning combination, but being sickeningly skinny and still able to crank out immense power is a tell-tale sign someone is on this sort of program (I always wonder if The Chicken was one of the first to be on this sort of plan). This is just one of many items that has raised enormous red flags for some in the case of Froome. And such, built the way he is, he time trials like a beast and throws up the third fastest time on Ax 3 Domaines. Right behind 2001 Armstrong and ahead of 2003 Ulrich and 2005 Basso. Interpret as one may.
Another method that is, amazingly, catching on is intentional carbon monoxide poisoning. The carbon monoxide replaces oxygen in hemoglobin molecules which the body will recognize as an oxygen deficiency and will respond by increasing its production of natural EPO, which would not risk a EPO positive as the test relies on a ratio of artificial:real and not a set amount. Of course, one's hematocrit level would still have to remain below 50 so the ceiling is only so high, but the risk of testing positive for EPO itself is non-existent. Best the public knows that is...as there are strong rumors of a new EPO test that was in use at the Giro and possible the Tour, but no definitive proof of that is available at the moment.
Beyond that, who knows what is out there that WADA and such don't even know about yet, but rest assured the most desirable items right now are ones that allow riders to become incredibly lean without sacrificing any power threshold at all.
The next wave? Gene doping.
