David Millar says that triamcinolone, a drug that was used by Sir Bradley Wiggins under a therapeutic use exemption (TUE), should be banned during races. The ex-pro, who has been a high profile anti-doping campaigner since being banned from the sport in 2004, also believes there should be full public disclosure of all TUEs.
Wiggins’ use of triamcinolone was revealed when the Fancy Bears hackers published medical data stored by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) on their site last week.
The rider received several intramuscular injections of the substance as a treatment for asthma shortly before the Tour de France in 2011 and 2012 and before the Giro d’Italia in 2013. Following the publication of the details, he felt it necessary to issue a clarification relating to comments he had made in his autobiography regarding the use of needles.
Millar also used Kenacort – a trade name for triamcinolone – during his career. He told The Telegraph that he didn’t understand how a doctor could prescribe the drug to a rider about to compete in a race.
“As I said in my book, I took EPO and testosterone patches, and they obviously produce huge differences in your blood and you felt at your top level … Kenacort, though, was the only one you took and three days later you looked different.”
Millar also said Kenacort was a factor in his taking sleeping pills because it put him “on this weird high.”
Speaking about the effects, he described the drug as ‘scary’.
“You would do all the training but my weight would stick. But if I took Kenacort, 1.5-2kgs would drop off in like a week. And not only would the weight drop off I would feel stronger.
“If you are non-asthmatic and you take Ventolin it’s not going to give you any advantage. But if you take Kenacort it’s not only going to make a sick person better, it’s going to make a sick person better than a healthy person. That’s a very grey area.”
Millar suggests that there are other forms of cortisone which could be used to treat allergies instead of triamcinolone. “We [athletes] shouldn’t have to face this. If it’s that strong we shouldn’t be allowed to take it unless there is a serious issue. And if we’re suffering from that serious an issue, we shouldn’t be racing. I don’t know how a doctor could prescribe it [before a race]. I can’t fathom it.”
50 thoughts on “Drug used by Bradley Wiggins should be banned – David Millar”
Millar should not given a
Millar should not given a voice. Can’t get over that this cheat was given a job with British cycling to look after young riders when there are 50 other, internationally experienced riders- who road with honour, who could fulfil this role with pride and honesty.
Millar is exactly who should
Millar is exactly who should have a voice. He knows his shit. And wasn’t some washed up nearly ran, the guy was a boss. Good times, bad times. He’s seen pretty much all of it.
I listen to him. Who you want to listen to? Some rose-tinted Mr. Nice Guy putting out platitudes and sweeping everything under the carpet? Doped for years and knows he got away with it? Loads of riders doped and didn’t get caught and play down fears I bet.
People think Millar isn’t legit cos he got caught. On the contrary, I think it made him legit as soon as he threw his hands up.
unconstituted wrote:
I remember Millar being interviewed a few years ago and talking about how it was a clean new world and the young guys in his team didn’t face the pressures to dope that he did. You didn’t have to be following cycling news very closely at the time to realise that was he was either hopelessly naive, dishonest, or just sticking his head in the sand. It certainly didn’t come across as “knowing your shit”.
It’s interesting that Millar regards this drug as the most potent thing he’s ever used, because the Telegraph reported this yesterday:
Dr Brian Lipworth, of the Scottish Centre for Respiratory Research, said, however, that he believed there was “no scientific reason” why a drug like triamcinolone would be performance-enhancing.
“An anabolic steroid like testosterone puts on muscle mass but this is a catabolic steroid which breaks down muscle,” said Lipworth, who sits on the WHO guidelines committee ARIA. “The benefits to David Millar were probably the fact that he was taking EPO and testosterone at the same time as he was using triamcinolone. So the anaobolic effect of the testosterone probably counteracted the triamcinolone.”
Ian Pavord, a Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Oxford, said he too doubted injected triamcinolone could help athletic performance as it would “reduce proximal muscle mass”.
Stephen Durham, the Head of Section for Allergy and Clinical Immunology at NHLI, Imperial College and Professor of Allergy and Respiratory Medicine at Royal Brompton Hospital London, said that to the best of his knowledge it would not aid performance but that “it would require a biochemist/clinical pharmacologist to provide a definitive answer that it would not have minimal effects”.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/cycling/2016/09/20/sir-bradley-wigginss-last-resort-drug-was-utterly-bonkers-say-me/
I’d like to know why Wiggins was using this treatment if it was for performance enhancement, and not just a very heavy duty allergy treatment, because it doesn’t sound very useful. Either way, I’m not sure I would rely on Millar’s comments about its performance enhancing effects instead of the opinion of expert scientists!
The drug already is banned
The drug already is banned during races. The only way you’re allowed to take it during races is through cynical manipulation of the TUE system.
As a medic I would never use
As a medic I would never use triamcinolone for “asthma”, as Millar says (and he does know this sh*t) there are many other steroids that could be used for asthma, and certainly there’s no reason to use injectable steroids either.
Ungulate wrote:
And this is the point that none of the media want to discuss from the fancy bears hack. One of the criteria for a TUE is that there should be no legitimate alternative treatment available, but there are 12 non-banned asthma inhaler treatments.
There is no reason that a TUE should be granted for salbutamol or triamcinolone unless the athlete has an adverse reaction to all 12 of those, and since they work by several different means that is almost impossible. That so many athletes are taking one or other of these is clear abuse of the system.
kevinmorice wrote:
TUEs have only been required for salbutamol when exceeding doses way in excess of normal usage since about 2010,and if you were taking I think its approx 16 inhaler doses a day to control your asthma, you wouldnt be getting on abike and riding in a race anyway, youd be in hospital. at which point the doctors would be saying well why are you using a reliever medicine as a preventer medicine, and then prescribe you something completely different. You go for the salbutamol inhaler only when its needed, its not a magic performance boost drug,in normal consumption, no matter how many times people keep smearing that it is.
The whole TUE approach is a
The whole TUE approach is a joke.
‘The Russians’: we’re exposing the hypocrisy of the system – if you just plain dope and get caught, you’re a cheat. If you’re Western and play the system, you dope and get a TUE, and then you’re not a cheat.
It’s a bit more subtle than that, but this has got legs and it’s undermining WADA and national anti-doping agencies.
Is this really how TUEs work?
Is this really how TUEs work?:
“I’m feeling a bit poorly, can I have some of the good stuff?”
“But it’s illegal to use that during a race”
“But I’m not racing right now, and I really need it; can I have a doctor’s note?”
I couldnt think of anyone
I couldnt think of anyone else I’d rather have actiing as a mentor to our younger riders.
I have time for Millar on
I have time for Millar on this subject – he is someone who know exactly where the bones are buried.
However, on this point:
You take a strong enouph dosage, and there certinally is a performance advantage from Ventolin. It only lasts 5 min or so, but during that time – whaaayyyyy.
(although of course, some who needs that strenght of medication, aint going to be racing pro at the same time)
Must be Mad wrote:
There’s a limit to how much you can dilate a bronchus. If you don’t have asthma, your bronchi shouldn’t be constricted. Salbutamol will also give you a raging tachycardia for a relatively short time if you take a lot of it. That can be quite uncomfortable.
Written back in 2013.. Riis
Written back in 2013.. Riis mentions it in his book as this post points out too.
http://www.biscuittinmedia.com/alejandro-marque-cortisone-confusion-tour-of-portugal-2013/
Millar is probably right
Millar is probably right about this… but I’d also say, Wiggins was right to get the TUE when he did…
This isn’t utopia, this is professional sport, and if that TUE was avaulable to him, then all cool in my books.
if there are the effects highlighted by Millar, then it should not be allowed, or should dictate a period of non-racing after prescription. To me its not about lloking back and pointing fingers, its about learning the ‘system’ and changing things moving forward.
I’m a big fan of Wiggo but
I’m a big fan of Wiggo but even I have to admit it looks fishy – not so much the drug used but the timing of each of the three TUEs. Before the big GC crack at the tour in 2011, before the the next big attempt at the tour in 2012 and finally before going for the giro the following year. Hate to say it, but I think he played the system. The obvious solution is to have a no-racing period after a TUE, depending on the effects of the drug.
HoldTheWheel wrote:
It is more than fishy and precisely because of the timing and the drug used. But TUE means that he’s broken no rule that any other athlete has been subjected to.
The Russians are right to point out the hypocrisy. You don’t even have to look at TUEs to say that. What happened with Lizzie Armitstead was pure hypocrisy. Her case was seen to very speedily and was able to compete, despite breaking the rules. Other Russian athletes were given summary judgements based on third party evidence and banned from competing.
I don’t dispute that the probability is that the Russian athletes were part of an organised doping program, but unlike Lizzie, they passed all the tests and didn’t break any rules based on their requirement to produce samples. Lizzie was allowed off on a technicality with more than a hint that she consciously avoided tests.
The system is broke.
If you have something wrong
If you have something wrong with you you shouldn’t be allowed to race. Nil drugs.
Sport should be fair across the board.
David Miller has vast knowledge about this subject and should be listened to.
Jimnm wrote:
You clearly shouldn’t be allowed to race.
velo-nh wrote:
I will rephrase my post
if you have something wrong with you which requires drugs you shouldn’t be allowed to race. Nil drugs
I won’t be racing anytime soon 🙂
Jimnm wrote:
Yea, I got that the first time. Do you realize how common things like allergies and asthma are? Let alone other types of health conditions that are managable with medication. People with health problems aren’t a subspecies of lesser people.
Whether this particular case was an abuse or not, that’s certianly an issue. But you can’t prohibit such a large portion of the public from being able to compete for reasons they have no control over. That’s pretty much the definition of discrimination.
velo-nh wrote:
pretty much! Perhaps they could have different categories of entry, drugged and drug free, obviously not competing together as that wouldn’t be fair, now would it.
At least it would give the competitor a choice of which side of the fence he/she is on. Making sport more transparent. No grey areas and possibly end the deceit of cheating.
Jimnm wrote:
I don’t think you understand fair versus not-fair. Say I have a skin condition that’s treated with a steroid that has a very slight performance benefit for a small percentage of people that use it. You’d have me choose between risking skin infection or worse versus racing with Lance Armstrong? No, that’s not even remotely fair.
velo-nh wrote:
‘elite sport’ is the definition of discrimination.
The issues here are playing the TUE system and the brutality of grand tours, not the fact that not very many people are born like Usain Bolt.
Wiggo played the rules and
Wiggo played the rules and won. By the standards of pro-cycling he didn’t break any rules and therefore he’s legit.
Whether the rules are correct is a different issue one on which David Millar seems to have a good grasp.
I see all the same stuff
I see parallels between the Wiggins fanboys as from Armstrong fanboys 10 years ago, and criticisms brushed under the carpet by the argument ‘he got loads of new fans into the sport’. OK what Wiggins has done is nowhere near as persistent and egregious as Armstrong, but it seems more likely than not he has played the system. And for me, I cycle because I love cycling, not because I think I’m a second Brad just because I have spent £1500 on carbon wheels and £400 to be kitted head to toe in Rapha, like some of the new breed of cycling fans radiate from their very being.
rliu wrote:
You love cycling but hate on cyclists who wear a different brand than you, or have wheels made from a different material than yours?
Rapha is stylish. People like it. Deal with it.
unconstituted wrote:
That’s a predictable response. Hate is far too strong a word and I admire the aesthetics of Rapha and Mavic carbon wheels as much as the next man. I’m just saying cycling can be enjoyed beyond chasing Strava KOMs and getting dressed like a racer. My other point was that people, many of whom are the type of cyclists I just mentioned, turn a blind eye to Wiggins’ misdemeanours just because he is a sporting hero, but that’s exactly what Americans did with Armstrong, only to be stung heavily.
rliu wrote:
Seriously, the guy hating on Rapha, in a random unrelated thread, talking about ‘being predictable’. Everything you said there is a copy and paste comment from countless threads on this site. Oh Strava, boohoo. Oh Rapha, boohoo.
Tell us oh cyclist, what exactly are people allowed to do or wear for your approval?
Cycling is amazing now compared to 10 or 20 years ago. Tech is better, clothes are better, bikes are better. You can train and compete without racing and the dangers of it.
Ridiculously good. And for guys like you, who want to wear baggy clothes and potter around, you can still do that.
Try not to get eaten up because the world is moving forward.
unconstituted wrote:
rliu wrote:
you shop in the sales too?
The simple fact is He didn’t
The simple fact is He didn’t break the rules.Those same TUE’s were and are available to every other rider. AS mentioned above the only way to ensure no one is using would be to enforce a no racing ban on anyone recieving a TUE or stoppng theuse of them all together.
Well, this is ironic for me.
Well, this is ironic for me. Having athsma if it starts getting really bad, ventolin gets less and less affective the more I take. The duration I get relief from it also decreases.
If I was to take too much all at once which I tried when I was a kid I’d feel light headed. The only thing I can do is go cycling to get relief.
I must go and see my doctor. Can’t believe he was keeping the good stuff from me…I’ll explain strava KOMs to him, I’m sure he’ll understand .
This morning I drafted behind
This morning I drafted behind a crane and got a Strava KOM. I had taken 2 ibuprofen before I left. First steps to being a doper.
Skinbob01 wrote:
Are you sure it wasn’t a heron?
Direct from the WADA code:
Direct from the WADA code:
I remember that salbutamol became more legal, but I don’t remember when? The TUE makes it legitimate anyway.
Presumably the dose is quite
Presumably the dose is quite important. You’d imagine the allowed dosage has no or relatively minor performance enhancing effects.
What is – in principle – a
What is – in principle – a difference between TUE and allowing a motor compensating e.g. a broken leg?
Everyone seems to be missing
Everyone seems to be missing the really important bit of information.
“But if I took Kenacort, 1.5-2kgs would drop off in like a week. “
Think how much money you could make selling this to folk on a diet. You lose a load of weight and get fitter at same time. Result!
imajez wrote:
I should have gone to spec savers, I thought it said Kenco, and now is 3.30am and I can’t sleep.
I have a TUE to wear my 20
I have a TUE to wear my 20 year old ASSOS clearance jacket while riding my steel framed bike.
shotbybarry wrote:
I have one for flat pedals, apparently they aren’t allowed on road bikes.
I have had asthma since I was
I have had asthma since I was a kid and it is controlled by ventolin and salnutamol. I am way past the age of racing but I totally disagree with you about barring asthmatics from competition. without my Meds I wouldn’t have been able to finish the etape London or etape du tour.
My american friends used to
My american friends used to tell me that Armstrong was clean. He was a honest man, fighting cancer. His success had attracted a lot of people to cycling. etc. etc.
My UK friends tell me that Wiggins is a knight. He is a cool chap, talking straight, looking after his family. His success has attracted a lot of people to cycling.
Can I really believe that pro cyclists (more than 50%) are “clean”?
Quote:
Boom. Hit. Nail. Head.
Essentially, yes.
Cutting through the vitriol and axe-grinding – there is a genuine long running discussion on wither the TUE process is robust, or open to exploitation.
The medication Wiggins took seems (from the outside) an odd choice – but there *may* be sound medical or practical reasons why this dug was prescribed at those times. Without knowing the exact medical situation, any allergies which may have been a consideration and the though process of the doctor… its all just a lot of wild speculation.
Are you in possession of his complete medical history or just guessing? How do you know there was no prior history for whatever problem he may or may not have been suffering?
Must be Mad wrote:
Well according to the hacked data he never had the injections at Garmin.
I haven’t a clue about his medical history or why he had the injections, which is why I included the next sentence in my post. If there was a valid reason for taking it he could very easily clear this up. If he doesn’t want to clear it up then that’s his right. Until then, it looks pretty bad, as even David Walsh of all people has conceded.
Chris Boardman suffered bone
Chris Boardman suffered bone loss because he never took drugs. His bone loss is a direct consequence of his training regime. A theraputic treatment of testostorone would have prevented the bone loss, but would have also banned him from competing. Ultimately Chris did end his competitive cycling career to undergo the treatment he needed.
The question is should it be necessary for athletes to suffer permanent damage in order to compete?
Hard question, but I’m not so quick to judge atheletes who are on theraputic treatment.
Quote:
And. So. What? What does that prove?
To much guess work based on incomplete stolen information
Miller isn’t that expert:
Miller isn’t that expert:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/cycling/2016/09/20/sir-bradley-wigginss-last-resort-drug-was-utterly-bonkers-say-me/
To summarize:
Said medical expert said that the drugs Wiggins took under TUE were pretty dangerous for an allergy treatment.
However they were of the view that they were not performance enhancing, if anything they would stand a good chance of damaging performance.
Miller was able to use them to cut weight and retain power by combining with EPO and anabloic steroids, without those you would just lose muscle mass.
There is no TUE for anything which would counter those effects and let’s also pint out that Wiggins won several other world tour events in 2011 and 2012 before either of the TUE.
I think there needs to a lot
I think there needs to a lot more oversight from governing bodies here. It’s ridiculous that an asthma treatment that also peps you up and helps you burn fat is (or was)an allowed option when there are others that treat the problem with less dubious side effects.
On the plus side I’m going to try and track some of that stuff down! Got about 2kg I can’t shift!
Yorkshire wallet wrote:
Might be worth reading the previous posts properly if you want to keep your muscles…