Protagonists from the scene have liked to emphasize for years that professional cycling has drawn the teachings from its dark past. Research results of the ARD doping editorial team are in stark contrast.
New doubts about “extraterrestrial” services, alleged death threats and Aicar as a possible “means of choice” in the peloton: the ARD documentary “Secret Doping: In the slipstream” gives the scene two weeks before the start of the start of the Tour de France New occasion for doping discussion-not only by researching a former complicity of the Erfurt blood doping network, which still works completely undisturbed at the top team of Ineos.
In the film, anonymous liders have their say with deep insights into the professional cycling scene. Their statements are in stark contrast to those of those drivers and officials who have stubbornly emphasized for years that cycling has drawn its teachings from dark doping times and could look unencumbered into the future.
Alleged death threats
“Many people in cycling are afraid to talk. I know those who wanted to say that they were threatened with death when the doping wire matters found out that they wanted to talk”said a former cyclist who drove in a top team and has experienced doping in the industry itself. He assures his statements on oath.
People who want to speak publicly about doping need strong nerves.
With a view to the fact that the last positive doping control during the Tour de France The man said from 2015: “To believe that nothing has been taken illegal at the Tour de France since 2015 – that’s a joke. I was close to it myself and noticed that it was continued.”
EPO in Microdosuses and aicar
The other anonymous whistle from “Secret Doping: In the slipstream” is a man who is familiar with many doping practices in cycling. He has deep insights into the professional cycling scene, is known there.
He reports that an illegal substance that has appeared in the 2010s still plays a major role today: Aicar, an actually the body’s own metabolic activator who, in its synthetic form, increases the energy level in the muscles-and is on the ban on the ban on the ban on the muscles.
“People who work in professional cycling today say: Aicar was and is the means of choice in the peloton”explains the whistle. That was already the case after the big doping scandals – “And it is still”. The endurance booster Epo is still used in micro doses, the man said. He also signed an affidavit.
Aicar is probably the means that is taken to increase cyclists.
“Open the door that never went back”
Ron Evans from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego in the US state of California is considered the father of the synthetic Aicar. His research in 2008 paved the use of Aicar as a medication, which was used, among other things, in cancer regeneration.
The potential for abuse in sports not only recognized Evans immediately, but also “The Tour-de France organizers and the world anti-doping agency”. He was certain, said Evans that many would have benefited from the means in sports: “This opened a door that never went again afterwards.”
Doping controls as Intelligence tests
In the film, an expert has their say that considers the prohibition measures of anti-doping institution in sports against Aicar to be almost ineffective-not only because the detection window is extremely small for the remedy. “If I were an athlete, I would take AiCar if I know that it is on the ban list?says Oliver Catlin, nutrition and doping expert from Los Angeles.
Oliver Catlin, nutrition and doping expert from Los Angeles.
He found 166 AICAR-like preparations in a simple Google research, of which only four of which appear on the Wada ban. The son of the American anti-doping legend Don Catlin describes doping controls as intelligence tests: “If you are caught in the competition with things that are on the ban on the ban, it would not be possible to exceed stupidity in today’s world.”
“Developments exceed advantages of illegal substances”
Experts from cycling also have their say in the documentary, which think that the explosive performance development in the scene can be clearly explained by innovations in various areas. “I think the great developments even exceed the advantages of illegal substances in the past. We talk about many improvements: material, of course aerodynamics, of course weight, bike handling, grip, comfort”says product developer Filippo Galli from cycling manufacturer Colnago.
Kristof de Kegel, nutritionist at Alpecin Deceunick, reports, for example, about groundbreaking progress in his field, which goes hand in hand with an increase in the amount of carbohydrate that the drivers can absorb per hour.
“Can’t explain to me what’s going on on the street”
Pierre Sallet, French sports scientist,, on the other hand, does not believe that ruling -compliant developments in the machine, humans and material can explain the ever new route records. “We know the limits of human performance. We know what is feasible for a person and what is not. There are certainly gray areas”said Salllet, “But at some point the zone becomes black, then it is 100 percent doping.”
Pierre Sallet, French sports scientist, does not believe in clean cycling.
Sallet had already analyzed performance data of the Tour de France on the time of later convicted dopers such as Jan Ullrich and Lance Armstrong and already shaped the concept of “Alien“On the bike. Because of his critical comments, he suspects, a contract with the tour operator ASO was not extended.
He also says with a view to the performance in the current peloton: “I can’t explain what’s going on on the street. For example: A normal adult man is between 1.60 m and 2.20 m tall. But the services that we sometimes see would be as if the man was three meters tall.”
Appeal to officials and drivers
Roger Legeay, the founder and president of the “Movement for Certain Cycling (MPCC)”, considers the anti-doping regulations of the WADA and the UCI cycling association to be too cumbersome. “That is precisely why “he says, is powerful anti-doping work “The job of the team managers, the doctors, the sporting director, the driver – they have to do it. All of these people from cycling – they are the ones who have to provide ethical and clean sport that is less suspicious”.
But in professional cycling, it is still teeming with convicted doping fans or drivers and other team members burdened in investigative proceedings. Nevertheless, they are still employed in the industry-in a total of 14 of the 18 World Tour teams. And only seven of the 18 WorldTour teams currently belong to the MPCC. Some of the best teams terminated their membership.
In professional cycling, it seems to be teeming with convicted doping sons.
The common argument that the German-Austrian Red Bora Hansgrohe racing team also came up with the previous year was that the regular anti-doping regulations were now sufficient. The three top stars of the Tadej Pogacar scene, Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel are not single members of the MPCC. The ARD doping editorial team asked all three for “in the slipstream” for this-and received no answer.