The recent revelation of a positive by Karl Murray (NZ Hearald article) highlights the biggest issue with drugs and cycling. If you read his post on roadcycling.co.nz (although it seems to be scrubbed from the internet, so good luck finding it!) you will probably flick between believing and not believing him.
The drug cheats for years have been saying the same thing as the wrongly accused, “it was the supplements”! Our sport has an issue with dishonesty, not just drugs. The recent CIRC report suggests there is still more work to be done, but the only way to change is to have a robust system (and not the riders word) to prove our sport is clean.
On the other side of the coin, it appears there may be a legitimate concern some foods and supplements may produce a positive doping result. Here are some guidelines to avoid this situation.
So what do you do if you want to avoid testing positive?
As coaches I think we have to take a lot more care with what we consume and what we advise others to take. I’m not sure Hydroxycut Hardcore X was the most discerning product to take (sorry Karl) as it is targeted at body builders or gym bunnies who don’t have the same WADA constraints.
Here are my recommendations to elite riders wanting to avoid accidentally testing positive:
- minimize supplements to ones you can trust
- only take basic supplements, not combo products e.g. Creatine Monohydrate, Whey protein (preferably NZ) etc, not lean up mixes or Hydroxycut Hardcore X or things targeted at body builders!
- follow AIS guidelines
- I would only take things on the “A” list
- check ingredients are just what you want, no mysteries
- use caution and satisfy yourself that it is safe to take any combo product e.g. gel, powder etc. Only use it if you are satisfied it is clear
- see what other teams use that meet the above recommendations
- Read: AIS Supplement Fact Sheets
- consider keeping a sample of each batch you get (you may need it to defend your case!)
Ok, ride hard and ride clean.
Andrew.
