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news
Michael Barry (CC SA licensed image by www.instants-cyclistes.fr:Flickr)Updated: Team Sky says its riders are not given painkiller Tramadol and it should be banned
Updated: Team Sky says its policy for the past two seasons is that its riders should not race or train while using the legal but controversial painkiller Tramadol, and believes it should be banned. The team was responding to claims by former rider Michael Barry that he and other Sky riders had used the drug while racing.
In a statement released yesterday, Team Sky said:
None of our riders should ride whilst using Tramadol — that’s the policy of this team.
Team Sky do not give it to riders whilst racing or training, either as a pre-emptive measure or to manage existing pain.
We believe that its side effects, such as dizziness and drowsiness, could cause issues for the safety of all riders.
We also feel that if a rider has the level of severe pain for its appropriate use they should not be riding.
Tramadol is not prohibited by WADA but this has been our firm position for the last two seasons and all medical staff and riders are aware of this.
Our view is that it should be on the WADA list and any appropriate clinical use could be managed through the regulated TUE, or Therapeutic Use Exemption, system.
Barry, who retired in 2012 shortly before it was revealed by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) that he had admitted having used EPO while at US Postal, for which he received a six month ban, had made the claim about the use of Tramadol in his new autobiography, Shadows on the Road.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) does not currently included Tramadol on its prohibited list, but in his book the Canadian describes it as being “as performance-enhancing as any banned drug I had taken” and says that “some riders took tramadol every time they raced”.
There are concerns over its potential side-effects, which can include lack of concentration and drowsiness, with Lotto-Belisol team doctor Jan Mathieu blaming it for crashes in the Spring Classics and calling for the drug to be banned and also warning it can be addictive.
In an interview with Jeremy Whittle of The Times [£], Barry said: “I used tramadol at Sky. I never saw it used in training, only in races, where I saw some Sky riders using it frequently.
“The effects are noticeable very quickly. Tramadol made me feel euphoric, but it’s also very hard to focus. It kills the pain in your legs and you can push really hard.
“After I crashed in the Tour de France I was taking it, but I stopped after four days, because it allows you to push beyond your natural pain limit.”
He added: “Tramadol packaging warns against driving or operating machinery, so I can’t see how racing down narrow cobbled lanes at 50km an hour on tramadol can ever be a good thing.”
Teams that are members of the Movement for Credible Cycling (MPCC) have pressed WADA to ban Tramadol, with the anti-doping organisation having told it that “the number of samples containing Tramadol is significant and the very large majority of them originate from cyclists.”
While MPCC members are forbidden from giving their riders Tramadol, there is nothing to stop non-member teams such as Sky or Omega Pharma-Quick Step from doing so as current rules stand, although some might question whether it is in the spirit of the sport.
Last October, Team Sky doctor Alan Farell told Cyclingnews that he backed an appeal from his counterpart at Garmin-Sharp, Prentice Steffen, for Tramadol to be banned both in and out of competition, but admitted that riders on the team had used it during races.
He said it was “an effective pain killer when it’s used in the clinically appropriate scenario. Certainly in our team we would have used it in the past but only when justified.
“We would have prescribed it, very minimally but sometimes if someone had an injury that justified pain killing medication.”
He added: “We would never have used it in training. It’s only a medication that we would have used very minimally and in a supervised environment. I just can’t believe people would use it in a training environment.
“It’s definitely something that we would have as medication within the team but it would only be something that we’d use in the appropriate scenario.”
Barry insists that during his spell with Sky, he never saw banned substances being used.
“I believe Sky is clean,” he maintained. “I know it’s become a cliché but they focus on the little things, as well as having the best riders.
“You have to take into account the little factors and the big factors like budget and riders.
“But I’ve never seen anything to doubt their performances,” he added.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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76 comments
Sky just cant be trusted. In addition to this I have heard that they ride in black to power solar cells that drive a small electric motor to power the cranks. That's why Rapha changed the branding of the material from Fuel Black to Cool Black. This means the electric motors in the crank dont need a battery as this had hampered Cancellara when he was routinely using one...it was to heavy to have a stack of 9v batteries in the seat tube. this is why Sky dont do so well in the Spring classics: not enough sunshine, to much grey Flanderian sky. Come Tour time though and the sunflowers are out and Sky can shoot along. Look at Chris Froome on Ventoux last year (though to be fair he apparently had to switch the power cells to his shorts as was in the yellow jersey). He also apparently powered the electric motor using a dynamo. When he turned the pedals it powered a dynamo that provided electricity that in turn powered the pedals. Thats why he pedals so much faster to escape Quintano, and only does so in a big crowd so people cannot here the whirring. Don't ask me where I got all this information, but let's just say 'I know people'.
Sky just cant be trusted. In addition to this I have heard that they ride in black to power solar cells that drive a small electric motor to power the cranks. That's why Rapha changed the branding of the material from Fuel Black to Cool Black. This means the electric motors in the crank dont need a battery as this had hampered Cancellara when he was routinely using one...it was to heavy to have a stack of 9v batteries in the seat tube. this is why Sky dont do so well in the Spring classics: not enough sunshine, to much grey Flanderian sky. Come Tour time though and the sunflowers are out and Sky can shoot along. Look at Chris Froome on Ventoux last year (though to be fair he apparently had to switch the power cells to his shorts as was in the yellow jersey). He also apparently powered the electric motor using a dynamo. When he turned the pedals it powered a dynamo that provided electricity that in turn powered the pedals. Thats why he pedals so much faster to escape Quintano, and only does so in a big crowd so people cannot here the whirring. Don't ask me where I got all this information, but let's just say 'I know people'.
I don't want to add any fuel to the Team Sky doping suspicions argument, and I really have nothing against the team or how they race, but I have a couple of comments related to this story.
The first is the very premise of "marginal gains" employed by Sky and many other top level teams. Conceptually, they would use the most expansive definition of legal means to improve performance, despite ethical or long-term health risks. Whether it is the (non)homologation of the Olympic time trial bikes or the alleged use of Tramadol, it's all about bending the rules to find better performance. It shouldn't be surprising when these stories break, as pushing legal boundaries is the core of the marginal gains ethos. Heck, even the Garmin doctor looked into the benefits and risks of Tramadol.
Secondly, the PR response by Sky is curiously crafted. In "None of our riders should ride whilst using Tramadol", by using the word "should" instead of "do", it may imply that team riders continue to use Tramadol, just not under direction by the team. My impression is that the PR response was crafted by the legal department to protect the team management and put all of the responsibility for Tramadol use on the riders. Anyway, just my two cents.
The answer to this would be the same as all the other teams; marginally ethical.
Back in the 90s 2 Aussies, Pate and Hall, won the gold and bronze at the world sprint championships, then got done for steroids. Because of the racing format, Fabrice Colas, the French silver medalist, couldn't take the gold, only the silver.
At the time I remember Cycling Weekly say that "in a subsequent interview Colas demonstrated how thin the line in taking illegal drugs was by listing a string of medication he was taking that would have been as beneficial".
I think that thin line is even thinner today than 20 years ago.
As it happens they did..
What a shame - no more inane smiling as Sky drags a resentful group up those long long climbs . . .
I cant be bothered to trawl through all these comments so would just like to ask if anyone has mentioned caffeine yet?
A very powerful stimulant and performance enhancer but perfectly legal and one that probably each and everyone of us uses on a daily basis.
If caffeine landed from outer space tomorrow i am sure it would be banned. Its probably no more or less 'dangerous' than Tramadol
Indeed. Now, why the fu*k would they have done that?
I see most of you are still in denial...
Do you think if I broke out the co-codamol on the chainy it wouldn't hurt so much?
Perhaps you should have read the article:
And you're not suppose to drive or operate heavy machinery whilst taking it.
On the subject of caffiene - I think it's banned over certain quantities by the UCI isn't it? Might be wrong but I'm sure I heard that recently.
I can has espresso. I can not has three. :*(
It used to be up until about about 6-7 years ago I think, not anymore though.
AHHH sweeeet *nails the second espresso*
I am stunned that this drug is not on banned list! I have worked here in Ulster with Addict services & Tramadol has long been a problem !!
!!
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