Notices
Professional Cycling For the Fans Follow the Tour de France,the Giro de Italia, the Spring Classics, or other professional cycling races? Here's your home...

Steroids/Cycling

Old 05-01-19, 08:40 PM
  #1  
dooner90
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 20
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 35 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Steroids/Cycling

Hey everyone,

I'm a somewhat younger rider who's just getting into the sport. Before I ever picked up a road bike I knew that premiere cyclists of the past have used steroids. What's the general consensus on this subject? Do cyclists still use these products at the top levels of the game, or was there a big backlash against it after the fallout with Armstrong back in the day? I'd be really interest to see a comparative graph with data showing how much performance differs from cyclists who use steroids vs. cyclists who don't use them; in short, I'd like some raw info on the performance enhancing effects.

I'll commit this thread to steroids in general. Share any perspectives, thoughts, incites, or personal stories. Thanks for your time.
dooner90 is offline  
Old 05-01-19, 08:47 PM
  #2  
sdmc530
Heft On Wheels
 
sdmc530's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 3,124

Bikes: Specialized,Cannondale,Argon 18

Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 887 Post(s)
Liked 560 Times in 346 Posts
Subscribed......should be locked shortly. Drugs and sports never mix.
sdmc530 is offline  
Likes For sdmc530:
Old 05-01-19, 11:01 PM
  #3  
Seattle Forrest
Senior Member
 
Seattle Forrest's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 23,208
Mentioned: 89 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18883 Post(s)
Liked 10,645 Times in 6,054 Posts
I take steroids for cat 6 racing on multi use trails. One time this student beat me on his way commuting to class, and I vowed never to lose to a Fred again. So I started juicing. The next time I saw that guy, I knocked him off his bike and stomped his wheel in a fit of roid rage. What are we talking about again?
Seattle Forrest is offline  
Likes For Seattle Forrest:
Old 05-02-19, 02:41 AM
  #4  
Pirkaus
Coffin Dodger
 
Pirkaus's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 2,138

Bikes: Motobecane Vent Noir, Lynskey R345, Serotta Nova Special X

Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 794 Post(s)
Liked 292 Times in 143 Posts
Don't do today, what you will regret tomorrow. Hard work, and good nutrition, will get you to your peak, but being blessed with good genetics wouldn't hurt. This documentary is on Netflix, it has some interesting information on the whole PDE cheating scene.
[img]webkit-fake-url://8ba7e94a-a61f-4b6a-90fa-f20df532b0d7/imagejpeg[/img]
Pirkaus is offline  
Old 05-02-19, 04:40 AM
  #5  
luevelvet
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: SE USA
Posts: 125

Bikes: 2018 Fuji Jari 1.5, 2019 Trek Domane SL5

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 47 Post(s)
Liked 7 Times in 5 Posts
It all comes down to which substance folks decide to take for their particular sport. In cycling EPO is popular since it increases aerobic performance and can be difficult to test for at times. Watch the documentary named Icarus to learn more about how not good this all is.

Also no one likes a cheater in any sport. In combat sports PED use can make the difference in brain damage. In cycling EPO can (and has) caused early deaths and heart problems. But in other sports it may not be the worst thing ever. Bodybuilding (is that a “sport”?) comes to mind.

Theres also contrasting ideas regarding steroid use outside of sport. There are benefits to small doses of TRT etc. Watch Bigger, Stronger, Faster on one of the streaming services for their take on it.

I know this a controversial topic but it’s one that creeps in to almost every sport out there. I’m also an MMA fan and of course it’s a huge part of that culture as well.
luevelvet is offline  
Old 05-02-19, 05:58 AM
  #6  
indyfabz
Senior Member
 
indyfabz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,050
Mentioned: 210 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18318 Post(s)
Liked 15,266 Times in 7,222 Posts
Rather than steroids, allow me to recommend Brawndo. It's got what plants crave.
indyfabz is offline  
Likes For indyfabz:
Old 05-02-19, 06:04 AM
  #7  
MoAlpha
• —
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Land of Pleasant Living
Posts: 12,151

Bikes: Shmikes

Mentioned: 58 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10101 Post(s)
Liked 5,781 Times in 3,111 Posts
Originally Posted by indyfabz
Rather than steroids, allow me to recommend Brawndo. It's got what plants crave.
Doesn't do **** for poison ivy.
MoAlpha is online now  
Old 05-02-19, 06:09 AM
  #8  
indyfabz
Senior Member
 
indyfabz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,050
Mentioned: 210 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18318 Post(s)
Liked 15,266 Times in 7,222 Posts
Originally Posted by MoAlpha
Doesn't do **** for poison ivy.
Even if you don't have lunch there, take a walk trough the Reading Terminal Market across from the Convention Center.
indyfabz is offline  
Old 05-02-19, 06:26 AM
  #9  
MoAlpha
• —
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Land of Pleasant Living
Posts: 12,151

Bikes: Shmikes

Mentioned: 58 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10101 Post(s)
Liked 5,781 Times in 3,111 Posts
Originally Posted by indyfabz
Even if you don't have lunch there, take a walk trough the Reading Terminal Market across from the Convention Center.
Great suggestion; I've never seen it and I will do if I have time. Need to do a bit of business and be back in DC in time for dinner with long-suffering spouse, who is leaving for the antipodes on Tues.
MoAlpha is online now  
Old 05-02-19, 07:38 AM
  #10  
WhyFi
Senior Member
 
WhyFi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: TC, MN
Posts: 39,505

Bikes: R3 Disc, Haanjo

Mentioned: 353 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 20791 Post(s)
Liked 9,436 Times in 4,663 Posts
Originally Posted by dooner90
Share any perspectives, thoughts, incites, or personal stories.
Oh, no need to worry about that part.
WhyFi is offline  
Likes For WhyFi:
Old 05-02-19, 08:07 AM
  #11  
OBoile
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 1,794
Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1027 Post(s)
Liked 325 Times in 204 Posts
People have been cheating long before Lance, and I don't doubt they will continue to do so as long as we have organized competitions.

As for if steroids in particular are being used currently, I have no idea. They definitely would help with recovery and muscle retention while dieting. But, I'm not sure how easy it is to beat the testing.

As others have said, EPO is the big one for endurance sports. It has a much larger, more direct, effect on performance.

The health risks of steroids are generally overstated. That's not to say they aren't real, but a very significant number of people taking them illegally aren't exactly following a doctor's advice with respect to dosage and frequency. A lot of people take far, far more than they should and/or are also taking a bunch of other stuff at the same time. "Roid rage" is also generally a myth. Steroids will make you a bit more confident/assertive/aggressive, but the difference is pretty small in the vast majority of cases. Most people likely wouldn't notice the change in personality.
OBoile is offline  
Old 05-02-19, 08:11 AM
  #12  
MoAlpha
• —
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Land of Pleasant Living
Posts: 12,151

Bikes: Shmikes

Mentioned: 58 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10101 Post(s)
Liked 5,781 Times in 3,111 Posts
Originally Posted by OBoile
... a very significant number of people taking them illegally aren't exactly following a doctor's advice with respect to dosage and frequency.
In my opinion, any physician who advises a healthy person to take more than zero milligrams of an anabolic (or catabolic, for that matter) steroid every infinity days should have their ticket pulled.
MoAlpha is online now  
Old 05-02-19, 08:16 AM
  #13  
OBoile
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 1,794
Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1027 Post(s)
Liked 325 Times in 204 Posts
Originally Posted by MoAlpha
Any physician who advises a healthy person to take more than zero milligrams of an anabolic (or catabolic, for that matter) steroid every infinity days should have their ticket pulled.
I tend to agree, but I'm not naive enough to think that "team doctors" aren't doing this for a lot of top athletes. A lot of Olympians are following a drug program designed by a doctor as opposed to a high school kid who's getting them from some guy at his gym.

I also think some doctors figure, if the person is going to do them either way, it's better for them to be doing it under a doctor's supervision than on their own. Sort of like the logic for supporting "safe injection sites" for drug users. Again, I'm don't really agree with this, but the argument isn't entirely without merit.
OBoile is offline  
Old 05-02-19, 08:18 AM
  #14  
MoAlpha
• —
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Land of Pleasant Living
Posts: 12,151

Bikes: Shmikes

Mentioned: 58 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10101 Post(s)
Liked 5,781 Times in 3,111 Posts
Originally Posted by OBoile
I tend to agree, but I'm not naive enough to think that "team doctors" aren't doing this for a lot of top athletes. A lot of Olympians are following a drug program designed by a doctor as opposed to a high school kid who's getting them from some guy at his gym.

I also think some doctors figure, if the person is going to do them either way, it's better for them to be doing it under a doctor's supervision than on their own. Sort of like the logic for supporting "safe injection sites" for drug users. Again, I'm don't really agree with this, but the argument isn't entirely without merit.
I understand what you're saying and believe it happens, but any doc who does it is treading on thin ice with their state board and the plaintiff bar.
MoAlpha is online now  
Old 05-02-19, 09:11 AM
  #15  
cycledogg
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,163
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 344 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 20 Times in 18 Posts
Out with the bad blood, in with the new blood. That's how I do it.
cycledogg is offline  
Likes For cycledogg:
Old 05-02-19, 09:31 AM
  #16  
cthenn
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Walnut Creek, CA
Posts: 2,664

Bikes: 2023 Canyon Aeoroad CF SL, 2015 Trek Emonda SLR, 2002 Litespeed Classic, 2005 Bianchi Pista, Some BikesDirect MTB I never ride.

Mentioned: 10 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 647 Post(s)
Liked 135 Times in 88 Posts
Ketones are the new steroids, and they're legal!
cthenn is offline  
Old 05-02-19, 10:21 AM
  #17  
canklecat
Me duelen las nalgas
 
canklecat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Texas
Posts: 13,522

Bikes: Centurion Ironman, Trek 5900, Univega Via Carisma, Globe Carmel

Mentioned: 199 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4558 Post(s)
Liked 2,798 Times in 1,798 Posts
Given the increasing emphasis on data and tools to record and evaluate performance, it's almost certain that someone, somewhere, has or is experimenting with controlled use of anabolic steroids and other PEDs to evaluate and chart the effects on athletic performance. It would only take an elite level athlete who's no longer actively competing, or taking a sabbatical from sanctioned competitions, to serve as a lab rat. We already know from various doping scandals that some nations have engaged in doping for its teams in international competition, so the infrastructure exists for qualified lab testing. But don't expect to see those results published anywhere in any legitimate medical or science journal. Hacked and leaked, sure.

Go back to the Floyd Landis case at the 2006 Tour de France. It's among the few cases where an athlete admitted to specifics about doping and the effects.

Short version:
  • Without adequate juicing, Landis was physically exhausted and lost 10 minutes, and the yellow jersey, in Stage 16.
  • With juice, the next day on another mountain stage Landis won Stage 17 and secured the TdF win with a long solo breakaway, basically turning a mountain stage into a time trial, along with solid performances in subsequent stages. One of the most spectacular come from behind victories in cycling history. Check out the videos on YouTube.

Yeah, that kinda got everyone's attention.

That's how much difference it makes.

Skip to 3:48 of this video of the press conference after Stage 16 and listen carefully to the reporters' questions and Floyd's response:
Reporter: ''Today had absolutely nothing to do with them monitoring you?"
Landis: ''No... today... was not a factor."
Reporter: ''Would you tell us if it was (a factor)?
Landis: ''No.'' (Nervous laughter.)
(Several reporters laugh. Obviously worst kept secret in the TdF.)

canklecat is offline  
Old 05-02-19, 11:20 AM
  #18  
maartendc
Senior Member
 
maartendc's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 901

Bikes: BMC SLC01, Trek Checkpoint ALR5

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 542 Post(s)
Liked 32 Times in 26 Posts
Is this guy seriously considering taking steroids for cycling? Even as a "beginning rider"? I cannot believe what I am reading here.
maartendc is offline  
Old 05-02-19, 11:28 AM
  #19  
MoAlpha
• —
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Land of Pleasant Living
Posts: 12,151

Bikes: Shmikes

Mentioned: 58 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10101 Post(s)
Liked 5,781 Times in 3,111 Posts
Originally Posted by maartendc
Is this guy seriously considering taking steroids for cycling?
It's certainly most entertaining to assume so.
MoAlpha is online now  
Old 05-02-19, 01:00 PM
  #20  
Carbonfiberboy 
just another gosling
 
Carbonfiberboy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Everett, WA
Posts: 19,500

Bikes: CoMo Speedster 2003, Trek 5200, CAAD 9, Fred 2004

Mentioned: 115 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3872 Post(s)
Liked 1,920 Times in 1,369 Posts
Originally Posted by canklecat
Given the increasing emphasis on data and tools to record and evaluate performance, it's almost certain that someone, somewhere, has or is experimenting with controlled use of anabolic steroids and other PEDs to evaluate and chart the effects on athletic performance. It would only take an elite level athlete who's no longer actively competing, or taking a sabbatical from sanctioned competitions, to serve as a lab rat. <snip>
Already been done, though not by an ex-pro. Even more interestingly IMO was that PEDs turned an average Joe cyclist into a very strong rider in 4 months. Plus 15-20 hours a week, of course. PEDs don't make you strong, they enable you to get better results if you do the work. Remember that doped Lance rode those Pyrenees passes in the cold spring rain.

The very informative and a cautionary tale is here: https://www.outsideonline.com/1924306/drug-test
__________________
Results matter
Carbonfiberboy is offline  
Old 05-02-19, 01:09 PM
  #21  
dooner90
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 20
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 35 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by maartendc
Is this guy seriously considering taking steroids for cycling? Even as a "beginning rider"? I cannot believe what I am reading here.
well you probably can't believe what you're reading because you're reading my post wrong.... I'm not considering taking steroids. I don't even suggest this in the OP.

I mentioned that I'm new to cycling -- not that I'm new to cycling and want to try steroids. You misread me.
dooner90 is offline  
Old 05-02-19, 01:13 PM
  #22  
tagaproject6
Senior Member
 
tagaproject6's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 8,550

Bikes: Wilier Izoard XP (Record);Cinelli Xperience (Force);Specialized Allez (Rival);Bianchi Via Nirone 7 (Centaur); Colnago AC-R Disc;Colnago V1r Limited Edition;De Rosa King 3 Limited(Force 22);DeRosa Merak(Red):Pinarello Dogma 65.1 Hydro(Di2)

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 551 Post(s)
Liked 276 Times in 144 Posts
tagaproject6 is offline  
Old 05-02-19, 01:34 PM
  #23  
TimothyH
- Soli Deo Gloria -
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Northwest Georgia
Posts: 14,782

Bikes: 2018 Rodriguez Custom Fixed Gear, 2017 Niner RLT 9 RDO, 2015 Bianchi Pista, 2002 Fuji Robaix

Mentioned: 235 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6844 Post(s)
Liked 736 Times in 469 Posts
Just felt like posting this.

TimothyH is offline  
Likes For TimothyH:
Old 05-02-19, 01:44 PM
  #24  
Marcus_Ti
FLIR Kitten to 0.05C
 
Marcus_Ti's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Lincoln, Nebraska
Posts: 5,331

Bikes: Roadie: Seven Axiom Race Ti w/Chorus 11s. CX/Adventure: Carver Gravel Grinder w/ Di2

Mentioned: 30 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2349 Post(s)
Liked 406 Times in 254 Posts
Originally Posted by Carbonfiberboy
Already been done, though not by an ex-pro. Even more interestingly IMO was that PEDs turned an average Joe cyclist into a very strong rider in 4 months. Plus 15-20 hours a week, of course. PEDs don't make you strong, they enable you to get better results if you do the work. Remember that doped Lance rode those Pyrenees passes in the cold spring rain.

The very informative and a cautionary tale is here: https://www.outsideonline.com/1924306/drug-test
The important things to note....PEDs cover a very wide range of things that do many things. From boosting strength to aiding recovery and so on, some are only useful in certain athletic contexts (like beta-blockers in shooting). Which leads to the funny problem that many many many OTC and prescription-only drugs are on the WADA banned substances list....because lots of modern drugs coincidentally also have secondary/tertiary effects beneficial to athletic performance.

The WADA banned PED list is huge...because they cover lots of sports, where an "unfair advantage" can be lots of things....like the aforesaid beta blockers in shooting, or enhanced recovery in cycling and so on.


A recent bit of hilarity was the World Bridge Champion was popped for doping. Yes, you read right. Bridge. The card game. Doping. See, the IOC and WADA sanction the tournament--so WADA rules apply, even if to card-game playing the drugs found don't actually do ANYTHING to enhance performance.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/geir-he...ed-for-doping/

Last edited by Marcus_Ti; 05-02-19 at 01:49 PM.
Marcus_Ti is offline  
Old 05-02-19, 02:05 PM
  #25  
maartendc
Senior Member
 
maartendc's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 901

Bikes: BMC SLC01, Trek Checkpoint ALR5

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 542 Post(s)
Liked 32 Times in 26 Posts
Originally Posted by dooner90
well you probably can't believe what you're reading because you're reading my post wrong.... I'm not considering taking steroids. I don't even suggest this in the OP.

I mentioned that I'm new to cycling -- not that I'm new to cycling and want to try steroids. You misread me.
Alright then.

Steroids are probably among the things that professional cyclists used to take. More importantly they used to take blood boosters such as EPO which give a boost in red blood cell count, very beneficial to endurance athletes. In more recent years, they went to blood transfusions even, reinjecting themselves with old blood that was extracted previously. Pretty gross stuff. There have been many books written about all of these practices in the 90s and 2000s.

Most of us who enjoy professional cycling racing choose to believe, or hope, that the sport is now much cleaner. At least any abuses are not as rampant as they used to be, controls are stricter and better. Athletes are tested during training as well, at random times. No sport will probably ever be 100% clean, but we can try.
maartendc is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.