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A carbohydrate revolution is speeding up pro cycling

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Re: A carbohydrate revolution is speeding up pro cycling

#41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m not going to disagree with the sentiment that drugs are speeding up the peleton. but >>” most drug filled sport”. comes off as probably naive. o think footbal, hockey, soccer, or baseball are are more clean is laughable, they just dont test for anything EVER, except maybe steroids every so often. id bet my bottom dollar all those pro sports with $$$$ flying around HAMMER any drug cocktail that might get them the…

Doping is probably still common, but the more endurance or speed based the more drugs help. Soccer values attributes drugs exaggerate - but it has a skill component that is more important vs cycling. Soccer also has breaks and substitutes and ways to slow the game down to close the gap. I'm not ignorant to the tactics and technique required in cycling, but its a smaller part of the sport vs tactics and skill in footb…

No, the cardio/fitness aspect of soccer absolutely cannot be overlooked, especially at the top levels where players are at the margin and need that edge, and where the amount of competition and pay and global attention is two orders of magnitude higher than cycling. And you got shit like EPO which basically erases recovery time, but you'll never catch unless you test daily.

>> Soccer also has breaks and substitutes

Kiiiinda, but not really at the pro level.

Re: A carbohydrate revolution is speeding up pro cycling

#42
post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Doping is probably still common, but the more endurance or speed based the more drugs help. Soccer values attributes drugs exaggerate - but it has a skill component that is more important vs cycling. Soccer also has breaks and substitutes and ways to slow the game down to close the gap. I'm not ignorant to the tactics and technique required in cycling, but its a smaller part of the sport vs tactics and skill in footb…

As I understand it, the main benefit of PEDs is improved recovery times. Regardless of the extent to which it affects the first race / game / training session, it permits your body to get back to peak condition more rapidly. The incremental gains from spending more time in the optimal performance window quickly compound.

There is a huge universe of PEDs, legal and otherwise. Some improve recovery times. Some accelerate muscle growth. Some, like EPO, directly boost aerobic capacity.

Re: A carbohydrate revolution is speeding up pro cycling

#43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

this is absolutely the right answer to the question that the peloton can go faster now that it did in the worst of the EPO years is a dire reminder that it'll always be a race between cheaters and the doctors that come up with reliable tests other ludicrous explanations coming from people that make a living from the cycling industry is "improvement in bike technology" (which then again is absolutely laughable)

I am an amateur cycling and I am pretty sure that bike technology is a key factor in improvement in cycling performances. Better aerodynamic, disk brakes and more sliding wheels are a thing. There is also another factor that is having an huge impact on cycling performances: power meters. Power meters help a lot on energy and fatigue management and also on training in a scientific way. In the 90s (the EPO era that you…

power meters and bike improvements (carbon, 3D-printed gadgets, aero, etc) happened around 10 years ago in the professional peloton (give or take)

the dramatic increase in power output happened less than five years ago so it's not about the gear, it's chemistry

we're seeing ludicrous numbers of about 7W/kg on long climbs like we used to see in the worst of the mid to late 90's, it should tell you that what's going on is bad

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