http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/simon-yates-returns-positive-doping-test/
Let's hope this is as anodyne as Orica say it is.
Let's hope this is as anodyne as Orica say it is.
Just seen it too. Been a shít week for British cycling.http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/simon-yates-returns-positive-doping-test/
Let's hope this is as anodyne as Orica say it is.
OTOH pro riders are out there in all sorts of crappy weather giving themselves a real hammering so it would be understandable if their lungs objected from time to time. The air quality in some countries is also a problem - races in China for instance.
It could be that most of us have a touch of asthma from time to time but we don't have team doctors monitoring us all the time to pick up on it. I often struggle to breathe properly until well warmed up.
Does a rider's asthma need to be life-threatening before a TUE can be given, or is a slight problem enough?
My consultant sent me for a lung function test after I complained of breathing problems when cycling. Nothing showed up but doing a test in warm hospital conditions isn't the same as riding hard up a climb and breathing in cold, damp air!
Like PaulB, I am a bit cynical about whether ALL of the TUEs are justified, but I bet that many are.
On exercise-induced asthma (Guardian):The Boots web-site says the stuff below and Asthma UK reckons 1 in 11 in the UK have some degree of asthma. So personally, despite literally seconds of research I am none the wiser. Genuine need or marginal gain?
(I'm sure I once saw a list of TUEs per athlete but couldnt find it. Might've been on the TdF website...)
Exercise-induced asthma
Exercise-induced asthma is a type of asthma triggered by exercise or physical exertion. Many people with asthma experience some degree of symptoms with exercise. However, there are many people without asthma, including Olympic athletes, who develop symptoms only during exercise.
With exercise-induced asthma, airway narrowing peaks five to 20 minutes after exercise begins, making it difficult to catch your breath. You may have symptoms of an asthma attack with wheezing and coughing. Your doctor can tell you if you need use an asthma inhaler (bronchodilator) before exercise to prevent these uncomfortable asthma symptoms.
What precedents are there for this? Yeah, I know about LA and his retrospective TUE for cortisone, but ordinary precedents where the offered explanation/excuse for a positive was a missing TUE. Although it's a reasonable explanation rules is rules. Surely he won't escape sanction.