# If someone purposely took caffeine before a race... doping?



## TehYoyo (Sep 16, 2012)

Saw a study today that showed 5mg/kgBW of caffeine an hour before a workout can increase FTP by 10%.

If a competitor did this before their race... cheating?


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## asgelle (Apr 21, 2003)

TehYoyo said:


> Saw a study today that showed 5mg/kgBW of caffeine an hour before a workout can increase FTP by 10%.
> 
> If a competitor did this before their race... cheating?


http://www.wada-ama.org/Documents/W...ed-list/2014/WADA-prohibited-list-2014-EN.pdf


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## TehYoyo (Sep 16, 2012)

asgelle said:


> http://www.wada-ama.org/Documents/W...ed-list/2014/WADA-prohibited-list-2014-EN.pdf


That's good to know... would you still feel cheated?


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## asgelle (Apr 21, 2003)

TehYoyo said:


> That's good to know... would you still feel cheated?


As much as when someone takes any other non-prohibited substance. That would be things like food, water, air; and don't get me started on those people who use non-prohibited methods. You know, things like sleep, train, recover.


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## mambo (Jul 29, 2012)

Pro's use those caffeine gels. In Spain many use a cheaper alternative called Durvitan. It comes in tablet form, about 6 euros ($8, £5) for 12 tablets. You take a tablet about 1/2 an hour before starting and being slow release, the effect lasts for 5 or 6 hours. Saves a hell of a lot over the gels! I guess there must be a US/UK equivalent. Remember that your body becomes accustomed to caffeine, so you should only use it for race or hard training days. Also cutting out caffeine containing products from your diet will increase the effects when you actually want to use it for racing .


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## Mr645 (Jun 14, 2013)

I use caffeine gels for long rides. Never thought about them for riding a few hours, but 15-30 hour rides, I switch to gels and Clif buzz bars with caffeine.


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## dot (Mar 4, 2004)

TehYoyo said:


> Saw a study today that showed 5mg/kgBW of caffeine an hour before a workout can increase FTP by 10%.
> 
> If a competitor did this before their race... cheating?


why? 

I drank defizzed red bull mixed with cooled black tea in the second half of MTB marathons. Not so sweet and tastes good, I prefered this mix over everything else. If it's a short race, a can (250ml) of red bull right before.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

I intentionally drink a lot of coffee before anything.


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## Guod (Jun 9, 2011)

I have something with caffeine before pretty much any race, training ride, gym session, work, etc.. 

It's not cheating.


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## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

spade2you said:


> I intentionally drink a lot of coffee before anything.


:lol:


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## bruin11 (May 21, 2004)

Cycling and coffee go hand in hand.


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

I would feel cheated if others didn't drink coffee.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

TehYoyo said:


> Saw a study today that showed 5mg/kgBW of caffeine an hour before a workout can increase FTP by 10%.
> 
> If a competitor did this before their race... cheating?


Whatch any UCI world tour bike race...at some point you'll see riders get a Coke out of the team car on camera.


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## deviousalex (Aug 18, 2010)

> * The following substances included in the 2014 Monitoring Program (bupropion,
> caffeine, nicotine, phenylephrine, phenylpropanolamine, pipradrol, synephrine)
> are not considered as Prohibited Substances.


Does that mean they are an upper limit to how much you can have?


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## asgelle (Apr 21, 2003)

deviousalex said:


> Does that mean they are an upper limit to how much you can have?


Why would you ask that?
http://www.wada-ama.org/Documents/W...list/2014/WADA-Monitoring-Program-2014-EN.pdf


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## MMsRepBike (Apr 1, 2014)

If?

If you're not doing it you're losing out in a race.
If you're in a race you better expect the next guy to be on every single thing he can get away with being on.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

Wouldn't that much coffee mean that they'd be peeing every 30 minutes? On the bright side, easy way to get urine tests. 

BRB, gotta pee.


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## deviousalex (Aug 18, 2010)

spade2you said:


> Wouldn't that much coffee mean that they'd be peeing every 30 minutes? On the bright side, easy way to get urine tests.
> 
> BRB, gotta pee.


Have you seen how triathletes pee? That's not just sweat on their bib shorts.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

deviousalex said:


> Have you seen how triathletes pee? That's not just sweat on their bib shorts.


That's nothing. Greg LeMond had the trots all over his bike once.


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## TehYoyo (Sep 16, 2012)

Caffeine pills.


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## foto (Feb 7, 2005)

TehYoyo said:


> Caffeine pills.


puppy dacshunds


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

One should always fuel themselves properly before riding - only Irish coffee provides in a single mug all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and fat.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

TehYoyo said:


> Caffeine pills.


I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so.......scared!


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## mambo (Jul 29, 2012)

spade2you said:


> I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so.......scared!


The slow release ones I mentioned earlier work, but just in case, try them for a training session rather than a race.


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## NJBiker72 (Jul 9, 2011)

Guod said:


> I have something with caffeine before pretty much any race, training ride, gym session, work, etc..
> 
> It's not cheating.


But it is performance enhancing. 

And I do the same. Enjoying a coffee on my way into the office right now.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

mambo said:


> The slow release ones I mentioned earlier work, but just in case, try them for a training session rather than a race.


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## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

NJBiker72 said:


> But it is performance enhancing.
> 
> And I do the same. Enjoying a coffee on my way into the office right now.


Hahaha, your boss will appreciate that.


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## woodys737 (Dec 31, 2005)

NJBiker72 said:


> But it is performance enhancing.
> 
> And I do the same. Enjoying a coffee on my way into the office right now.


So is water. Depending on the level of hydration (dehydration) the difference in performance is more noticeable than caffeine v. no caffeine.


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## NJBiker72 (Jul 9, 2011)

woodys737 said:


> So is water. Depending on the level of hydration (dehydration) the difference in performance is more noticeable than caffeine v. no caffeine.


Oxygen too. I have a hard time climbing hills with a plastic bag over my nose. 

Keeps me dry though.

Really PED's are all just a matter of where some regulator/bureaucrat wants to draw the line. I have done Sunday rides with a guy that carries around a pharmacy. I have ridden with other guys that won't take anything that is not in Allen Lim's cookbook. 

I am somewhere in between. Prefer natural but will give myself a boost with gel shots and the like. I don't have any objection to supplements either, although not sure if they really do much.


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## runabike (Jun 18, 2013)

TehYoyo said:


> Saw a study today that showed 5mg/kgBW of caffeine an hour before a workout can increase FTP by 10%.
> 
> If a competitor did this before their race... cheating?



How is that doping? Do you understand what doping is? It is using a BANNED substance. Caffeine is completely legal. 

You guys and your caffeine posts. Geez.


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## runabike (Jun 18, 2013)

mambo said:


> Pro's use those caffeine gels. In Spain many use a cheaper alternative called Durvitan. It comes in tablet form, about 6 euros ($8, £5) for 12 tablets. You take a tablet about 1/2 an hour before starting and being slow release, the effect lasts for 5 or 6 hours. Saves a hell of a lot over the gels! I guess there must be a US/UK equivalent. Remember that your body becomes accustomed to caffeine, so you should only use it for race or hard training days. Also cutting out caffeine containing products from your diet will increase the effects when you actually want to use it for racing .



You can buy a bottle of 100x 200 mg caffeine pills for 3-4 dollars. Very cheap.


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## runabike (Jun 18, 2013)

NJBiker72 said:


> But it is performance enhancing.


So is eating. Should we ban that, too, OP?


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## BikeLayne (Apr 4, 2014)

Since I am a recreational cyclist I cannot cheat in that sense. I do use PEB's (Performance enhancing Bananas). I usually stop at 38 minutes into my ride at a place called shades lookout and reapply sunscreen, drink some water and eat a banana. I throw the peel on the side of the road but God's little nature machine cleans it up before the next day comes around. Maybe squirrels. Car's pancake them and then the big birds eat the road kill. But back to the question in hand and I would say (not really knowledgeable about doping actually) but I would say that coffee is illegal if the cycling rules have banned caffeine. If they did not ban caffeine then it's legal. If they did ban it and you drink a beverage with caffeine you are a cheater and should be kicked out of racing for 1000 lifetimes and they should put it in the newspaper every day all over the world that you drank some coffee. File lawsuits so your family suffers and lives in horrific poverty. But the truth of it is I have no idea what is banned and what is not except for the big ones that are in cycling news all the time.


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## readyrockc (Mar 16, 2014)

Julie Furtado said she routinely drank 12 shots of espresso on race mornings. She was the top mountain bike pro of all time, undefeated for 2 seasons, and never got popped for doping. But that was the 90's.


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## Alex_Simmons/RST (Jan 12, 2008)

I did these charts to help people think a little more rationally about what is/is not doping:



Caffeine is in either A or D at present. Being in section D is not doping, but may present ethical issues (which can be somewhat subjective). It would be unethical IMO for instance to be giving caffeine pills to juniors.

BTW - a substance or method is not doping solely on the basis of its ergogenic (performance enhancing) effect. There are several criteria that need to be met for a substance/method to be prohibited.

Many ergogenic substances are not prohibited, and many non-ergogenic substances are prohibited:


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## 9W9W (Apr 5, 2012)

Izumi already poking fun at this: Legal Doping Coffee - Pearl Izumi


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