Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar has outlined how his team legally used carbon monoxide gas. Photo: Nico Vereecken
Cycling's governing body the UCI is proposing to ban the use of carbon monoxide gas by teams ahead of the new season.
The gas, which can be lethal, is used in low doses in training as a way of helping teams measure critical blood metrics in riders, especially haemoglobin levels.
An investigation published by website Escape Collective during this year's Tour de France highlighted the use of carbon monoxide rebreather devices by several teams to optimise altitude training.
"Inhaled in low doses and under strict safety conditions, the gas is used in medicine as a tracer to measure the pulmonary diffusion of oxygen or of the total haemoglobin mass," the UCI said in a statement.
"However, when inhaled repeatedly in non-medical conditions, it can cause side effects such as headaches, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, breathing difficulties, and even loss of consciousness. The UCI considers that these health side effects, and the complete lack of knowledge about the long-term effects of repeated inhalation of carbon monoxide, justify a ban on the use of this gas due to medical reasons."
Carbon monoxide hit the headlines at this year's Tour de France when eventual champion Tadej Pogacar was asked about his team's legal use of the gas.
"It's a test in altitude camp to see how you respond to altitude. You breathe into a balloon for one minute and then you see the haemoglobin mass, and then you need to repeat it two weeks after," he was quoted as saying.
"It's not like we're breathing exhaust pipes every day in the cars. It's just a pretty simple test to see how you respond to altitude training."
The UCI's proposed ban will be discussed by its Management Committee with a decision expected to be made by its executive body at the end of January.
The UCI said the use of carbon monoxide in a strict medical setting in the strict context of assessing total haemoglobin mass would remain authorised.
- Reuters