The hourly average on the Tour de France is steadily increasing. Like the former runners, the sports doctors question the doping and the outbidding between the teams.
“Impossible to win the Tour de France without doping”. Former champion cyclist Lance Armstrong celebrated the start of the 100th Tour de France in its own way. His statement to the daily Le Monde has obviously not gone unnoticed, especially among his former partners or opponents who can no longer see the image of their sport sullied. He then relativized his remarks by specifying that it was impossible between 1999 and 2005. “Today? I’ve no idea. I hope it is possible. ”
On the other hand, on the side of sports doctors, Lance Armstrong’s assertion is hardly surprising. “You can win the Tour de France without doping,” declares Professor Jean-François Toussaint, professor of physiology and director of the Institute for Medical Research and Sports Epidemiology. The question is what is the level of competition. If the competition is high, then it is difficult to win it without doping. “Same story with Dr Alain Ducardonnet, former doctor of the Tour de France:” It is enough that there is 10% of doped riders for the rules of the game to be distorted. “
Listen to Dr Bruno Sesboué, sports doctor at Caen University Hospital: “Cheaters necessarily have an advantage over others. “
1993: EPO arrives, performance increases by 6%
Of course, improving performance is not just about doping substances. The first riders of the Tour de France covered nearly 6000 km, with 30kg bikes, without sprockets. Since then, everything has become more professional: the equipment, the racing tactics, the training, the nutrition of the athletes… not to mention that the roads are no longer those of the beginning of the century. But, that is not enough to explain the ever faster pace of the runners. “The hourly average increases regularly on the Tour de France. Lately, it has increased a lot and we are entitled to ask questions, ”says Dr Bruno Sesboué.
Some answers are provided by anti-doping controls, some rare testimonies from repentant runners but also by scientific studies. At the Institute for Medical Research and Sports Epidemiology, Professor Toussaint has studied the performance, over 20 years, of cyclists on the Tour de France and other major cycling events. And the arrival of EP0 in the peloton had a very clear impact.
Listen to Prof. Jean-François Toussaint, director of the Institute for Medical Research and Sports Epidemiology: “Until 1990, the more the number of passes, the more the average speed decreases. After, until 2005, the more mountain stages are numerous, the more the speed increases. This is totally inconsistent with the physiology”.
EPO began to be massively used by the riders of the peloton in 1993. And it was in 1995 that the Italian Marco Pantani climbed to Alpe d’Huez in 36 min and 40 s, a record never equaled.
If doping has become such a widespread practice in international cycling competitions, there are many reasons. “The signing of a contract worth several tens of thousands of euros depends on the performances made in particular during the Tour de France”, explains Alain Ducardonnet. Sport business therefore fuels the doping economy. However, the level of arduousness of such sporting events would therefore also be responsible for the use of EPO, growth hormone or any other doping product.
“Twice Alpe d’Huez on the 2013 Tour, it’s shocking”
For the former doctor of the Tour, it is first of all the calendar of events that must be blamed. “The riders arrive at the start of the Tour de France with 20,000 km in their legs. The accumulation of races is undoubtedly a factor of hardship ”. The number of mountain stages has also increased over the years. “In the 2013 edition, the runners will have to climb twice at Alpe d’Huez. As a doctor, given the physical effort that this requires, I find it shocking, loose Alain Ducardonnet. It’s downright provocation. “
However, the 100th The edition which started on June 29 is not the longest in the history of the tour, far from it. “Today, the loop is about 3000 km while at one time, we happily reached 5500 km”, recalls Dr Bruno Sesboué. In addition, runners now have two days off instead of one. The duration of the stages has also been shortened. The longest are 225km, against 450 in the 1940s. “All of this is going in the right direction,” said the sports doctor from the CHU de Caen. But we can’t go much further, otherwise we risk transforming the queen event of the Tour de France into a provincial criterium. Now the fear of the gendarme must become stronger. »The multiplication of anti-doping controls is therefore a priority. But we must also hunt for new doping products that are arriving on the market.
Listen to Dr François Carré, sports cardiologist in Rennes: “A brand new molecule, ACAR, has a very important effect on endurance. But, this molecule was abandoned by the laboratory because it is so dangerous.”
Would aiming for the eradication of doping harm the spectacle? No, the sports doctors, who are also in love with the little queen, answer in chorus. “If there was no doping, the average speed would decrease by 5 or 6 km / h, estimates Alain Ducardonnet. So what ? “” In the 1950s, the Tour was very popular. And at the time, doping was really in the artisanal era, ”adds Dr. Sesboué. “What matters is the uncertainty of the result,” adds Jean-François Toussaint. Who will be crowned winner on the Champs-Elysées on July 21? The bets are open.
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