OFFICIAL: UCI bans controversial carbon monoxide rebreathing "to protect the health of riders"

It is official, the UCI have banned the controversial carbon monoxide rebreathing in the peloton after much discussion and speculation over the last few months. The ban is set to come fully into effect on the 10th of February. 

"To protect the health of riders, the UCI Management Committee approved a ban on the repeated inhalation of carbon monoxide (CO). The ban will come into force on 10 February 2025," announces the sport's governing body in a press release. "As a reminder, CO is commonly used in sports medicine to measure total haemoglobin (Hb) mass and blood volume, especially to examine the effects of endurance training and altitude exposure on oxygen carrying capacity. However, its repeated inhalation can result in acute and chronic health problems, for example headaches, lethargy, nausea, dizziness, and confusion. Such symptoms can worsen at any time and develop into problems with heart rhythm, seizures, paralysis, and loss of consciousness."

"The new regulation forbids the possession, outside a medical facility, of commercially available CO re-breathing systems connected to oxygen and CO cylinders. This ban applies to all licence-holders, teams and/or bodies subject to the UCI Regulations and to anyone else who might possess such equipment on behalf of riders or teams," the statement continues. "The inhalation of CO will remain authorised within a medical facility and under the responsibility of a medical professional experienced in the manipulation of this gas for medical reasons and in line with the following restrictions: only one CO inhalation to measure total Hb mass will be permitted. A second CO inhalation will only be authorised two weeks after the initial Hb measurement."

Although the UCI often follows the protocol of WADA in cases of doping, this time it is the cycling organisation that is leading the way. "The UCI’s ban is independent of the World Anti-Doping Code and the UCI Anti-doping Regulations, however the UCI has officially requested the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to take position on the repeated use of CO in and out of competition," the press release explains.

"The UCI takes a bold and necessary stance by banning the repeated use of carbon monoxide inhalation on medical grounds. Our priority is to protect the health and safety of our athletes and today’s decision is another significant step in this direction," says UCI President David Lappartient. “By modifying the participation rules for the UCI WorldTour and UCI Women’s WorldTour, organisers, riders and fans can be sure that all events in these two leading series for men’s and women’s professional road cycling will feature the best teams in the world."