Performance Enhanced...?

[missliz]

I find it mind boggling that you all don't know what doping is! They aren't talking about weird food like sugar paste- It's anabolic steroids, EPO, cocaine, yes, caffeine was one of the first ones regulated and a personal favorite of mine, asthma inhalers are closely monitered- ever noticed how many "asthmatic" Olympic athletes there are? When I fenced we had to pee in the cup even at regional weekend stuff, but everyone did more casual rec drug use then. Don't turn up your nose girls, that was life twenty years ago.
Remember the Festina doping scandal at the Tour five years ago? They got caught, but doping has been a requirement to be able to compete at the pro level of cycling for years. You needed to get jacked up just to make it as a domestique. The methods they use now are more manipulation, such as banking red blood cells and putting them back on board for better reoxygenation. The doping tends to be very inventive though, always a step before the testing. I don't know whats current, but I bet it's way advanced from the hideous junk they used 15 years ago.
The more interesting question- as the biochemistry of training becomes more sophisticated, what's legitimate manipulation and what's doping?
There is an all doping curcuit- it's called pro cycling, the NFL, pro baseball, pro anything. Remember All American Gold Medalist Olympian FloJo? She off the steroid marked features who died suddenly and young in a typical steroid use way?

Now, have I doped? Technically yes- Caffeine, cold meds (ephedra), Combivent (prescribed), few other innocuous things. Pain pills are great for training, but I don't know if I'd ride in a pack on narcotics. Coffee is the only good one. The rest are too unpredictable and can make your heart race. But boy is your head clear!Would I take weird drugs like steroids? No. I would jack up my hemocrit by banking blood though if I was racing at an elite level.
I must admit to going to a regional tournament that was all LSD- very Hunter Thompson, but fun! Not a USFA sanctioned event, but drew a big crowd. All these mellow drugs are fun to play on but lousy for real competition- especially pot. I think they're illegal to keep the wild child athletes in line before the competition.
Most importantly, I'd want to know what the competition was on. A lot of doping brings a trade off that can be exploited. You have to know how to cheat so you can recognize it and handle it.

Lizzy

[hibiscus09]

LOL -- I know what real doping is. Just haven't taken anything much myself. I haven't been cycling long -- but had been bodybuilding for a while before I started cycling. The steroids, asthma medication (clenbuterol), etc. are offered up a lot. I'm just not interested.

The one thing I did take for a while was ephedra, however, my body doesn't tolerate stimulants very well anymore -- other than coffee.