In the quest to keep sports clean and fair, a formidable challenge has emerged on the horizon.
Enter Roxadustat, an anti-anemia drug that's sending shock waves through the anti-doping community, making the fight against doping an uphill battle.
Swiss expert Raphael Faiss, the research manager at the Centre for Research and Expertise in Anti-Doping Sciences at the prestigious University of Lausanne, spoke candidly about the growing concern.
"It's not some obscure newcomer," Faiss stated with concern. "Roxadustat has been in existence since the early 2010s, quietly lurking in the Asian markets." But what makes this drug so nefarious? Faiss revealed the secret behind its deceptive powers: "It tricks your body into believing it's at high altitudes, triggering the production of red blood cells through endogenous erythropoietin (EPO)."
As if that wasn't enough, the drug boasts an elimination half-life of 10-16 hours, throwing anti-doping authorities into a frenzied pursuit of effective detection methods.
Roxadustat's evasive nature is a gift for potential cheats, and athletes like former tennis champion Simona Halep are caught in its tangled web.
After testing positive for Roxadustat at the U.S. Open, she finds herself suspended since October 2022, vehemently denying any knowledge of the banned substance.
It's not just the drug itself that's posing a conundrum for testers; the training habits of some athletes have raised eyebrows.
Faiss pointed out that athletes frequently training in altitude camps for just a few days have raised suspicions.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has tried to tackle this issue with its whereabouts rules.
Athletes must provide a one-hour time slot each day when they'll be accessible for testing, along with details of their training locations and times.
However, the unpredictability of athletes training in remote altitude camps, accessible only by cable cars that may not run at night, poses an ongoing challenge.
The International Testing Agency (ITA), responsible for cycling's anti-doping tests since 2021, is working tirelessly to maintain the sport's integrity.
With 60 dedicated testers monitoring approximately 1,000 riders throughout the year, they've been keeping a watchful eye on the prestigious Tour de France.
As Jonas Vingegaard, the current overall leader, continues to astound with exceptional performances, questions about trust in cycling resurface.
The sport's tarnished history of doping scandals makes the testers' job all the more vital.
Olivier Banuls, head of the Cycling Unit at the ITA, shed light on their strategic approach to testing.
"We use a variety of criteria, and performance is undoubtedly one of them," he asserted, referring to Vingegaard's exceptional showings.
The Danish rider's commanding 7:35 lead over Tadej Pogacar on the 18th stage of the Tour raised eyebrows and prompted closer scrutiny.
Testing Vingegaard a staggering 18 times during the Tour, with 14 of those tests being non-random, illustrates the ITA's dedication to maintaining fairness.
The rigorous testing continues throughout the year, with eight tests conducted on the rider in June, both in and out of competition.
However, the battle against doping isn't all cut and dry.
The 60-minute timeframe given to athletes for testing can sometimes prove challenging, especially when unforeseen circumstances arise.
Simon Geinoz, the legal advisor at the International Cycling Union (UCI), explained the protocol in such situations: "We don't automatically report an athlete for a 'no show' if they're not available within the given timeframe. Instead, we flag it to the legal department, giving the athlete the opportunity to explain themselves and provide evidence of their whereabouts."
With three whereabouts failures within a rolling 12-month period leading to an anti-doping violation and a potential two-year suspension, the stakes couldn't be higher for athletes.