"Some teams divert its use" - Jonas Vingegaard calls for ban on Carbon Monoxide inhalation over fears of rivals using it for performance enhancing
Cycling
Ever since June, the topic of Carbon Monoxide inhalation has revolved around the top cycling teams as a dark shadow of doubt. It's possible use for performance enhancing worries the sport's fans and authorities, as some teams such as Team Visma | Lease a Bike and UAE Team Emirates - XRG have confirmed their use - but for different reasons. However Jonas Vingegaard himself has come out to request this to be banned over the concern that rivals may be using it for performance enhancing.
*NOTE: The veracity of the quotes initially shared by Le Monde may not have portrayed accurately the words of Jonas Vingegaard. Hence, we ask you to first read this article in order to get the full context of what may have happened, and we apologize for any confusion our own may have caused.
But this is a topic where a lot remains in the shadows. Visma, UAE and Israel - Premier Tech are the three teams who were reported to use it, but it has always been argued that it's used as a tool to measure fitness gains during altitude training camps.
In words to Le Monde, the Dane explained once again how the Dutch team claims to use it: "My team uses carbon monoxide to measure blood volume and total hemoglobin mass. We inhale the monoxide a first time, before doing an altitude training camp. At the end of it, we repeat the operation to calculate our maximum oxygen absorption capacity," or as it's more commonly known, the VO2Max.
However, such statement relies on confidence, which for many fans is not too high taking into consideration the incredible climbing performances from several riders in the peloton over the last few years, including Vingegaard himself. The UCI is currently pressuring the World Anti-Doping Agency to make a decision on the use of carbon monoxide, over the obvious risks it can potentially carry to the riders that use it.
Taken in small doses, it has been highly suggested that it could improve the riders' ability to increase their VO2Max, increasing the body's ability to turn oxygen into energy, and so be able to put out more power. Vingegaard himself has been asked about this subject several times since the Tour de France, but he hints at being concerned over the misdoing of rivals who may take advantage of the method.
"Some teams divert its use by regularly inhaling low doses of carbon monoxide, which causes a significant gain in performance of their riders," he states. And the Dane outright supports the ban of his method over these concerns. "This is not fair and the World Anti-Doping Agency should ban it."
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Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And we, what are we doing?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And yet, it attracts people, even you. What’s more, it attracts the rival fanboys to fill cyberspace with endless pointless my hero is better than your hero blabla that’s all been heard before and only helps sell the site as an advertising platform. You know what the solution is but most can’t resist. No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- he is doing 460 watts for 35 min to achieve 7 w/kg with VO2 at 96 , just unreal numbers.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- Just do it, and put up with the consequencesJumpyjohn08-11-2026
- "was a headliner at the Tour de France" Nobody cared about Piddie. Only rivals that were there for Pogi, Jonas, Remco, Sexias, Lipo, Del Toro and they were all expected to lose. Piddie was not even in any conversation.abstractengineer08-11-2026
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