Some Empirical Notes on the Epo Epidemic in Professional Cycling

Lodewijkx, Hein F. M.; Brouwer, Bram

doi:10.1080/02701367.2011.10599811

Cited by 15 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 27 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…To conclude, findings of the current study corroborate our comments [10]- [12] on previous archival studies, which examined effects of doping use and anti-doping efforts on riders' final km/h performances in the three major European races in the years of the "epo epidemic" and thereafter. As suggested in the Introduction of this paper, the choice of an incorrect dependent variable combined with the Texas sharpshooter fallacy may indeed have led to biased conclusions relating to these developments.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 89%

The Texas Sharpshooter in the Three Grand Tours (1933-2013): No Evidence for Superior Time Trial Performances in the “Epo Era”

Lodewijkx

Verboon

2014

OALib

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Studies examining effects of doping in professional road racing building on archival records of the three major European stage races-the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, and Vuelta a España-concluded that riders' final performances in the "epo era" (>1990) strongly improved, yet declined since 2004. These observations can be criticized. First, we argue that time trial performances are more valid than final performances to indirectly evaluate doping effects. Second, we will pay attention to an informal logical flaw-the Texas sharpshooter fallacy-which may have biased findings and conclusions presented in the studies. To empirically substantiate our critique, we analyzed mean kilometers per hour (km/h) performances realized by winning riders in all time trials on flat and rolling terrain in the three tours (1933- 2013, N = 325). Regression analyses revealed no evidence for nonlinear in-or decreases in riders' speed beyond the 1990s, but a straightforward linear progress over time of b = 0.16 km/h per year (R 2 = 0.50, p ≤ 0.001). Findings corroborate our comments on previous archival studies and qualify opinions about effects of the "epo epidemic" on cyclists' achievements, since the time trial performances delivered in these years are no exemption to the observed linear progress in speed.

show abstract

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 89%

The Texas Sharpshooter in the Three Grand Tours (1933-2013): No Evidence for Superior Time Trial Performances in the “Epo Era”

Lodewijkx

Verboon

2014

OALib

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Over time, athletic achievements tend to improve in every sport, but this does not mean that a failure to progress or even a slight drop in top performances mean that these can be related to doping patterns; they may just as well relate to one or more of the other factors that influence performance. Pure statistical studies into the times of elite cyclists in various races failed to reach a clear conclusion [93,94], and this variability in factors that influence the final outcome of a race are most probably the reason to explain this ambiguity. Ernst and Simon speculated that recent improvements in sprinting performance in athletics could be indicative of a novel, very effective doping procedure (with insulin-like growth factor-1 being the primary candidate), but they also could not prove such assumptions [95].…”

Section: Athletic Performance and Non-peer-reviewed Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of Doping Use in Elite Sports: A Review of Numbers and Methods

2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The prevalence of doping in elite sports is relevant for all those involved in sports, particularly for evaluating anti-doping policy measures. Remarkably, few scientific articles have addressed this subject so far, and the last review dates back to 1997. As a consequence, the true prevalence of doping in elite sports is unknown. Even though it is virtually impossible to uncover the exact prevalence of a prohibited activity such as doping, various methods are available to uncover parts of this particular problem, which enables the circumvention (to a certain degree) of the issues of truthfulness, definition problems and the limits of pharmacological evidence. This review outlines the various methods that exist and presents the scarce data available in this area. It is concluded that a combination of questionnaires using the Randomised Response Technique and models of biological parameters is able to provide the statistical possibilities to reveal accurate estimates of this often undisclosed practice. Data gathered in this way yield an estimation of 14-39% of current adult elite athletes who intentionally used doping. These period prevalences have been found in specific sub-groups of elite athletes, and the available data suggest that the prevalence of doping is considerably different between sub-groups with varying types of sport, levels and nationalities. The above-mentioned figure of 14-39% is likely to be a more accurate reflection of the prevalence of intentional doping in elite sports than that provided by doping control test results (estimate of doping: 1-2% annually) or questionnaire-based research (estimations between 1 and 70% depending on sport, level and exact definitions of intent and doping). In the future, analytical science may play a more important role in this topic if it may become feasible to detect very low concentrations of prohibited substances in sewage systems downstream of major sporting events. However, it is clear that current doping control test results show a distinct underestimation of true doping prevalence. It does not seem feasible to distil better estimates of the prevalence of doping based on performance indicators or ego documents because of the various existing effects that influence athletic performance. Such information can only be used as extra information to augment the accuracy of prevalence rates that have been found by using other techniques. True doping prevalence studies have been scarce in elite sports so far. With the correct application of the available scientific methods, preferably using harmonised definitions of the terms 'doping' and 'elite sports', more information on this topic may be gathered in a relatively short time. This would assist anti-doping professionals in the future in order to evaluate the effects of possible anti-doping measures, and better anti-doping policies would serve athletes who compete without doping. The existing anti-doping measures seriously impact the lives of elite athletes and their immediate entourage, which imposes a moral burden...

show abstract

“…The ability of rhEPO to increase haematocrit above physiological levels, resulting in increased aerobic capacity, has led to its use in a range of human and animal sports . To counter the use of these drugs as doping agents, a number of methods have been developed for identifying rhEPO in plasma and urine .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification of recombinant human EPO variants in greyhound plasma and urine by ELISA, LC‐MS/MS and western blotting: a comparative study

Timms

Steel

Vine

2015

Drug Testing and Analysis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The recombinant human erythropoietins epoetin alfa (Eprex®), darbepoetin (Aranesp®) and methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta (Mircera®) were administered to greyhounds for 7, 10 and 14 days respectively. Blood and urine samples were collected and analysed for erythropoietin by ELISA, LC-MS/MS and western blotting. Limits of confirmation in plasma for western blotting and LC-MS/MS methods ranged from a low of 2.5mIU/mL, and closely matched the sensitivity of ELISA screening.

show abstract

Some Empirical Notes on the Epo Epidemic in Professional Cycling

Cited by 15 publications

References 27 publications

The Texas Sharpshooter in the Three Grand Tours (1933-2013): No Evidence for Superior Time Trial Performances in the “Epo Era”

The Texas Sharpshooter in the Three Grand Tours (1933-2013): No Evidence for Superior Time Trial Performances in the “Epo Era”

Prevalence of Doping Use in Elite Sports: A Review of Numbers and Methods

Identification of recombinant human EPO variants in greyhound plasma and urine by ELISA, LC‐MS/MS and western blotting: a comparative study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About