No intravenous fluids for cyclists?

[1centaur]

From cyclingnews:

"WADA approves 2008 prohibited list

The policy-making arm of the World Antidoping Agency (WADA), the Executive Committee, approved the 2008 'List of Prohibited Substances and Methods' on Sunday, offering up several additions to the list. New for 2008 will be "new classes of substances such as selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs), a family of nonsteroidal molecules that has the same effect as anabolic steroids, and agents modifying myostatin functions including but not limited to myostatin inhibitors" the organisation announced.

The committee also approved the prohibition of intravenous infusions unless they are used to treat an acute medical condition. The new list will be published online by October 1, 2007, and will go into effect on January 1, 2008."

This may be just my ignorance, but I thought the accepted wisdom was that effective rehydration for stage racers was impossible without IV. And what "acute medical condition" might be allowable that would allow the racer to continue the next day? Please enlighten me.

[benb]

This may be just my ignorance, but I thought the accepted wisdom was that effective rehydration for stage racers was impossible without IV. And what "acute medical condition" might be allowable that would allow the racer to continue the next day? Please enlighten me.

You think they always did it that way?

Depending on who you talk to I'm sure it's impossible for the racers to continue day after day without EPO, Test, HgH, etc..

[dauwhe]

If people are doing Furnace Creek, PAC tours, 1200ks, etc. without IVs, I think the stage racers will be OK.

Dave

[1centaur]

Trying to draw out these comments: what % of Tour teams used IVs routinely in the last 5 years?

[ecl2k]

You don't even need IV fluids to treat most cases of dehydration in a hospital, I think these athletes will be just fine.

[Louis]

You don't even need IV fluids to treat most cases of dehydration in a hospital, I think these athletes will be just fine.

I don't know much about this stuff, but maybe there's a difference between just trying to get someone out of a danger zone (hospital use) and trying to get someone ready for 150 more miles with a mountain-top finish the next day. Might not need it much in the hospital, but in a stage-race situation where 0.01% difference in performance counts there might be a benefit.

Louis

[ecl2k]

I don't know much about this stuff, but maybe there's a difference between just trying to get someone out of a danger zone (hospital use) and trying to get someone ready for 150 more miles with a mountain-top finish the next day. Might not need it much in the hospital, but in a stage-race situation where 0.01% difference in performance counts there might be a benefit.

Louis


I think the goal for athletes in general is to lose less than 2% of their body weight during exercise because any more than that and there is a significant impact on performance...so a cyclist should be drinking while riding which will minimize the amount of post-ride hydration needed.

Let's say it's super hot and this cyclist isn't able to keep up with their losses during exercise, so he is 5% dehydrated at the end of a race (which is overstating it). If they weight 70kg, thats 3.5 kg = 3.5L. So if the cyclist drinks about 3.5L after the race, where do you think that fluid is going to go? What would an IV do that drinking doesn't?