International Cycling Union proposes ban of controversial use of carbon monoxide

Cycling’s governing body on Thursday moved to ban the controversial but legal carbon monoxide breathing method used by some top riders. The International Cycling Union said it “will propose to its management committee that the use of carbon monoxide by riders be banned on medical grounds” during its next meeting on January 31 and February 1. “However, when inhaled repeatedly in non-medical conditions, it can cause side effects such as headaches, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, breathing difficulties, and even loss of consciousness.” The use of the potentially lethal gas by at least three teams was revealed last summer during the Tour de France by the specialist cycling website Escape Collective. On Thursday the UCI added that “its use in a medical setting, by qualified medical personnel, and within the strict context of assessing total haemoglobin mass, would, however, remain authorised.”