A Grand Tour

[zoony]

I've probably posted about this before but those of you who're fond of travelogues might find a lot to like about watching the coverage of the Tour de France even if totally disinterested in cycling. Much of the coverage is by helicopter and a lot of attention is paid to the lovely chateaux, churches, towns, bridges, rivers and landscape generally. It's now moved to the mountains and the scenery is quite spectacular...Just sayin'.

[crabbyob]

the tour was a big hit here when a stage started in the Dales
they got a right turnout and even yet you can see the old painted bikes in the weirdest places... they said they would be back

[Phil]

I've probably posted about this before but those of you who're fond of travelogues might find a lot to like about watching the coverage of the Tour de France even if totally disinterested in cycling. Much of the coverage is by helicopter and a lot of attention is paid to the lovely chateaux, churches, towns, bridges, rivers and landscape generally. It's now moved to the mountains and the scenery is quite spectacular...Just sayin'.

Old Froome isn't doing too well now he's not overdosing his asthma medication.

Funny how some top athletes seem to need medication that enhances oxygen levels & therefore muscle power.

[zoony]

Oh I don't know...2nd in the General Classification is outstanding in my book given the competition...and that's 'so far'..

[Michael Rolls]

Old Froome isn't doing too well now he's not overdosing his asthma medication.

Funny how some top athletes seem to need medication that enhances oxygen levels & therefore muscle power.

Actually he didn't 'overdose'- it has been accepted that he had no case to answer.
Mike

[Phil]

Actually he didn't 'overdose'- it has been accepted that he had no case to answer.
Mike

He had more than the prescribed limits in his samples which could be down to an error.

It wasn't proved that it was an error, it was shown that in statistical tests there could be an error.

Funny how some athletes seem to have severe asthma that requires the use of salbutamol oxygen enhancing medication while they're competing.

More oxygen = more muscle power = better performance.

I had a relative die from an asthma attack & they couldn't have run upstairs let alone cycled over the Alps.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/compton-questions-chris-froomes-asthma-medication-claims/

[Michael Rolls]

Read this, Phil. The WADA says salbutamol at prescribed levels is not performance enhancing.
Mike


https://www.wada-ama.org/en/media/news/2018-07/wada-clarifies-facts-regarding-uci-decision-on-christopher-froome

[Phil]

Read this, Phil. The WADA says salbutamol at prescribed levels is not performance enhancing.
Mike

https://www.wada-ama.org/en/media/news/2018-07/wada-clarifies-facts-regarding-uci-decision-on-christopher-froome

So would he perform as well if he didn't take it?

[zoony]

Probably not. It seems that a lot of top pro cyclists are asthmatic and need Salbutamol or a variant.   Pro tour cycling is big business nowadays so every team tries to find a legal edge. Whether it be bike design, clothing, nutrition, conjugal visits...anything to provide just a tiny amount of advantage within the laws of cycling, to their chosen athletes. It's just the same in every major sport.

[Michael Rolls]

So would he perform as well if he didn't take it?

Taking codeine for a headache wouldn't improve performance - same sort of thing.
Mike

[Phil]

Taking codeine for a headache wouldn't improve performance - same sort of thing.
Mike

So would a racing cyclist with a thumping headache perform equally as well as a racing cyclist without a thumping headache?

Codeine doesn't increase oxygen intake.

[Michael Rolls]

Phil
You are flogging a dead horse. The UCI and the WADA are happy that Froome has done nothing wrong. As a point of interest, quite a lot of Grand Tour riders (especially) suffer chest problems - after slogging one's way up a mountain with the sweat pouring off you, then being frozen on the descent, sometimes reaching speeds of 70 mph, it's not very surprising. Years ago you would see riders at the summit of a col getting newspapers from spectators and stuffing them inside their jerseys for protection against the cold on the descent - doesn't seem to happen now, don't know why. Perhaps modern clothing offers better protection from the cold.
Mike

[Michael Rolls]

Oh, and have you tried doing something really energetic with a thumping headache - I can assure you that it does affect performance, as does nausea, etc.
Mike

[Phil]

Taking codeine for a headache wouldn't improve performance - same sort of thing.
Mike

Oh, and have you tried doing something really energetic with a thumping headache - I can assure you that it does affect performance, as does nausea, etc.
Mike

Make your mind up, your first post says it wouldn't improve performance & your next post says it does affect performance.

So which is it?

[Michael Rolls]

I was answering the question you posed - would having a thumping headache be a disadvantage. My answer is yes.
Mike