Cycling, Uci officially limits rebreathing

Rome, 2 February 2025 – It thundered so much that it rained: the much controversial practice of rebreathing in the cycling world has a very short life, as established by theUCI, which thus puts an end to a situation that was beginning to become thorny and divisive in the context of a sport that has already paid a very heavy price to the spectre of doping and illicit activities.

The new Uci regulation

Starting from the next 10 February, in fact, the practice consisting of the repeated inhalation of carbon monoxide will be prohibited. "TheUCI has taken this courageous and necessary position for medical reasons. Our priority is to protect the health and safety of our athletes and this decision is another step forward in that direction": these are the words of David Lappartient, the president of the International Federation who has long questioned and spent time on the issue before the recent developments. Therefore, after months of debate we arrive at that clear position that had also been requested by the Wada to also verify any benefits in terms of sports performance. In reality, the major concerns are linked precisely to the consequences of using the machine on health. Carbon monoxide is used in medicine to measure the total mass of hemoglobin and blood volume.

However, there is a practice, namely rebreathing, that several cycling teams use in a more or less declared manner in theory to monitor certain parameters but, according to some malicious rumours, to improve the performance of their athletes. Then there is the medical aspect, the one that worries the most.UCI, because prolonged use of carbon monoxide can lead to chronic health problems such as headaches, nausea, dizziness and confusion at best; at worst, it can lead to abnormal heart rhythms, convulsions, paralysis, loss of consciousness and even the risk of sudden death.

Hence the new law in force starting from 10 February according to which, outside of a medical facility, the possession of carbon monoxide breathing systems will be prohibited. The restrictions apply to teams and all their members and, in general, to all subjects subject to the regulations UCI. The exception is for use within a healthcare facility and under strict medical supervision, but only if only one inhalation is performed to measure the hemoglobin mass, with the second permitted only after two weeks. All rebreathing activities must also be recorded in a special medical record. This is the position of theUCI towards its members, by category World Tour, Professional and feminine, which therefore goes beyond what will be established, once and for all, by the Wada, which should soon express its opinion on the issue both with regards to the competitions and outside of them.