“There are a lot of people smoking cigarettes every day”: Jonas Vingegaard says carbon monoxide method is like “smoking one cigarette” and claims he “never knew” it could be misused

Jonas Vingegaard has claimed that he was unaware that the controversial carbon monoxide rebreathing method deployed by his Visma-Lease a Bike team to test the effects of altitude training could be “misused” for performance enhancement purposes, stating that he will refrain from using the gas if it is banned by the UCI and WADA.

Conjuring shades of doping doctor Michele Ferrari’s infamous comparison between the use of banned blood booster EPO and the dangers of drinking ten litres of orange juice, the two-time Tour de France winner also downplayed the potential health effects of the much-discussed method, claiming it is akin to “smoking one cigarette” and noting that “there are a lot of people smoking cigarettes every day”.

Earlier this week, world cycling’s governing body, the UCI, called for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to “take a position” on the use of carbon monoxide inhalation in the peloton, after Escape Collective broke the news during this year’s Tour de France that UAE Team Emirates, Visma-Lease a Bike, and Israel-Premier Tech have access to a CO rebreather to test blood values.

Providing an accurate means of measuring key blood values such as haemoglobin (a protein that facilities the movement of oxygen in red blood cells), several pro squads have confirmed that they use CO rebreathers to track their riders’ progress during red blood cell boosting altitude training camps.

(ASO/Charly Lopez)

Both Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard confirmed at the Tour that they had previously used carbon monoxide rebreathers, with Pogačar even dismissing the practice as a “pretty simple test” and claiming he’d never actually completed it, while Vingegaard told Danish reporters that there was “nothing suspicious” about the controversial rebreathing technique.

However, despite not breaking any current anti-doping rules, those very same carbon monoxide rebreathers also allow for precise dosing of the gas into the lungs, which could potentially assist riders’ bodies in producing more red blood cells and improve their aerobic capacity, enhancing their performance artificially – an alternative use of the equipment which all teams at the Tour denied using.

> What is carbon monoxide rebreathing and why is the entire Tour de France talking about it? Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard insist it's "nothing suspicious" and "just a simple test", but others are less convinced

At its annual WorldTour seminar in Nice this week, the UCI requested that teams and riders avoid using “repeated CO inhalation”, clarifying that “only the medical use of a single inhalation of CO in a controlled medical environment could be acceptable”.

The governing body also officially called on WADA to “take a position on the use of this method by athletes”.

(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Visma-Lease a Bike star Vingegaard claimed that he wasn’t even aware that another performance-enhancing use of CO even existed until it was reported in the media, reiterating that the Dutch squad only use the method for testing blood values at training camps.

“I understand if it’s misused, but I never knew that it could be misused,” the Dane said. “I think I said before that we only used it to test if the altitude camps are working or not.

"So, what I heard is that if you misuse it, it can be used instead of an altitude camp, and if you use it in that way, then they say there can be some health issues – but that’s not the way we use it.

“But with that said, also what I heard is that when you do this one time, it’s like smoking one cigarette. And I mean, there are a lot of people smoking cigarettes every day.”

Despite downplaying the potential dangers of CO inhalation, the two-time Tour winner nevertheless admitted that he would stop using the test if WADA acts on the UCI’s call to ban the method.

“It’s a difficult question, and I won’t take any side on that. Of course, I will follow what the UCI and WADA are saying about this,” the 27-year-old stage racing specialist said.

“So, if they will ban it, of course, I will never do it again.”

> “It’s not like we’re breathing exhaust pipes every day”: Tadej Pogačar confirms use of carbon monoxide rebreather test for altitude training

Vingegaard’s comments this week echo those of his Tour rival Tadej Pogačar, who claimed during July’s race that he had never even completed the test, despite it being used by UAE Team Emirates, while arguing that “it’s not like we’re breathing exhaust pipes”.

“It’s a test in altitude camp to see how you respond to altitude. You need to do this test, it’s like a two or three-minute-long test. You breathe into a balloon for one minute and then you see the haemoglobin mass, and then you need to repeat it two weeks after,” the Slovenian said when asked about the method at the Tour.

“But I did just the first part of the test. I never did the second part because the girl who was supposed to come after two weeks didn't come. It’s not like we’re breathing exhaust pipes every day in the cars. It’s just a pretty simple test to see how you respond to altitude training.”

(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

At this year’s Tour, Pogačar’s UAE Team Emirates employers also denied that carbon monoxide was being used by the squad for “unethical purposes”.

“Carbon monoxide rebreathing is a method to assess total haemoglobin mass and has been used in altitude training and research for over 20 years. It is a well-established, safe, professional method that is backed by a very large amount of research,” the team said.

“We measure the haemoglobin mass at the start of an altitude training camp and at the end of the camp. In this way we minimise our athlete’s exposure to carbon monoxide and not the other way around.

“Any links to our team using this type of technology for unethical purposes are being made without any merit and without any facts or evidence to support them.”

> “Carbon monoxide could explain the trajectory of some riders we didn’t know about a year ago”: Romain Bardet says “it’s not surprising that teams look elsewhere for advantages” – and claims Tadej Pogačar “is so superior it’s difficult to explain”

However, another rider who has recently claimed that he only learned of the blood boosting effects of carbon monoxide through the press is Romain Bardet – though the French veteran did suggest that the technique could explain the recent jump in form of some riders.

“We see the studies. Anything is possible. I have never heard of anything but at the same time, I would not be surprised,” DSM-Firmenich PostNL climber Bardet, who is set to retire following next June’s Critérium du Dauphiné, said earlier this month.

“There is so much research being done with the idea of ​​optimising performance. Ten years ago, there were lots of promises about altitude. Everyone was getting involved, it was a bit of a panacea. We know exactly where it can take us.

“It is not surprising that there are certain researchers, certain teams, certain cyclists who are looking elsewhere. There will always be the desire to seek competitive advantages.”

The 34-year-old continued: “Carbon monoxide could explain the trajectory of some people we didn’t know about a year, a year and a half ago, but it’s also a bit of an easy claim to make without looking at their trajectory.

“These processes are documented and it’s now up to the authorities to decide whether to ban them or not, to carry out checks. It’s totally futile, in such a competitive world with so many economic issues, to believe that it’s the goodwill and impeccable ethics of the riders and teams that will allow the sport to regulate itself healthily. It’s totally illusory.”