Allegations of performance-enhancing drug use by competitive cyclists has tarnished the reputation of the sport and some of its biggest stars. To give riders a competitive edge, trainers and athletes alike are constantly seeking new drugs and ways to circumvent existing drug tests. Although there is no way to fully ensure clean riding, the biological passport helps to detect strange changes in blood chemistry over time.
Introduction
The biological passport was introduced in the 2008 season and applies to all riders with the Union Cycliste International, or UCI. As competitive cycling's main governing body, the UCI introduced the biological passport to avoid issues related to comparing the urine and blood samples of athletes to those of a general population. Due to the intense training schedules and unique eating habits of competitive cyclists, the biological passport allows for norms to be established for each athlete against which future test results are compared.
Components
Each athlete's biological profile consists of four major elements. The first two, individual urine and blood tests, can be collected at any time while an athlete trains or competes or at any time outside of competitive season. The third component is a haematological profile, which is created as an aggregate of all blood samples over time, primarily those taken outside of competition. This haematological profile is then used to compare the results of individual tests, such as those take before or after races, to detect sudden changes in blood chemistry. The fourth, the steroid profile, is similar to the haematological profile. Primarily based on out-of-competition testing, the results of urine tests are compiled over time and used to create a general baseline for each athlete against which in-competition test results are compared.
Detection Methods
According to the UCI, the biological passport succeeds where past tests have failed because it allows the detection of abnormal levels of chemicals produced by your body. With the increasing availability of designer drugs and artificial steroids with the same chemical profile as those in your body, such as testosterone, the biological passport's repeated testing and use of an aggregate norm for each athlete allows for indirect detection of doping. In addition to using individual tests to directly search for banned substances, the ability to detect strange changes in blood and urine chemistry over time allows for the UCI to identify and further test suspicious cases, potentially helping the UCI to identify previously unknown methods of doping.
Effectiveness and Criticism
Since its introduction in 2008, the biological passport has been used to identify a number of suspicious cases. Although 23 of those identified were in the first year of the program, Cycling News' Daniel Benson reports that the five cases brought against riders so far have either failed or are set to fail. In addition, he reports that Klaas Faber of the Dutch Forensic Institute believes that the UCI's methods err on the side of rider guilt, leading to false suspicions that may not be permitted in court. Rather than view the use of aggregate tests as a positive, Faber goes on to note that the biological passport encourages cyclists to begin doping at an early age. By using performance-enhancing drugs before the introduction of any doping detection methods, young cyclists may then be able to establish haematological and steroid profiles that reflect their body in an enhanced, rather than normal, state.
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