Fifty Plus (50+) - "Performance enhancing" drug

The latest "performance enhancing" drug. :)

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/23/sports/23viagra.html?hp

"The study indicated that some participants taking Viagra improved their performances by nearly 40 percent in 10-kilometer cycling time trials conducted at a simulated altitude of 12,700 feet — a height far above general elite athletic competition"

Just the thing to get over Loveland pass on Triple Bypass.

With some seriousness, this may even be real and a reasonable thing for a 54 year flatlander to do when tackling a ride at an altitude like that...

Wouldn't that be like killing 2 birds with one stone?

.....10-kilometer cycling time trials conducted at a simulated altitude of 12,700 feet — a height far above general elite athletic competition"

With some seriousness, this may even be real and a reasonable thing for a 54 year flatlander to do when tackling a ride at an altitude like that...

I may have to borrow some performance enhancement for our 50+ ride next year. Anybody got pills to spare next Aug/Sep?

With some seriousness - altitude kills me.

There isn't enough Viagra in Ohio to get me up...ahem, that mountain pass.

With some seriousness, this may even be real and a reasonable thing for a 54 year flatlander to do when tackling a ride at an altitude like that...

Bah! I'm 51 and have lived around 400 (four-hundred) feet all my life. A really big hill nearby is only 150 feet. Only 27 months after taking up cycling, 19 months after quitting smoking (for 35 years), on only three functioning lung lobes, and fueled with a waffle breakfast and some Gatorade along the way, I climbed Mt Evans.

http://www.brucew.com/images/bikeforums/tsl-top-mt-evans.jpg

Got it up 14,130 feet.

Had to be the waffles.

I don't think taking Viagra would be worth the increased heart attack risk. Besides, I probably couldn't pedal as well with a woody as without. :innocent:

Yeah! Drug up man. The answer is always in a pill. One of many 'silver bullets' for whatever ails you or gives you what you want.

Bah! Only 27 months after taking up cycling, I climbed Mt Evans.
Got it up 14,130 feet. Had to be the waffles.

Hi tsl,
At what elevation did you start, on the day you climbed Mt. Evans? Was it 400 feet? Your post doesn't make that part quite clear. Regardless, though, that was a great climb!

Rick / OCRR

MY question is what kind of shorts/bibs would do the best job of concealing the side effect of this performance enhancer?

I think he said the ride started at Echo Lake which is around 11,000' elevation.

Hi tsl,
At what elevation did you start, on the day you climbed Mt. Evans?

http://www.brucew.com/images/bikeforums/tsl-echo-lake-start.jpg

The group I was with started at Echo Lake, 10,600 ASL. I'd like to do the climb again starting from Idaho Springs, 7,524 ASL. Maybe during the 50+ weekend some of us could drive over and do it?


MY question is what kind of shorts/bibs would do the best job of concealing the side effect of this performance enhancer?

I think this is the most important question.

http://www.brucew.com/images/bikeforums/tsl-echo-lake-start.jpg

The group I was with started at Echo Lake, 10,600 ASL. I'd like to do the climb again starting from Idaho Springs, 7,524 ASL. Maybe during the 50+ weekend some of us could drive over and do it?

It depends on the weather of course. I rode by the turn to the Evans road on the Triple ByPass ride. It was about 8am and 34F when we flew by coming off of Juniper Pass. I was so cold on the long descent to Idaho Springs. I don't mind climbing in the cold but coming back down is difficult.

Well why would you be surprised. After all pedaling with three legs will make you go faster.

It depends on the weather of course. I rode by the turn to the Evans road on the Triple ByPass ride. It was about 8am and 34F when we flew by coming off of Juniper Pass. I was so cold on the long descent to Idaho Springs. I don't mind climbing in the cold but coming back down is difficult.

You'll note I have my jacket strapped to the trunk bag. Needed it on the descent that day too. Actually, I had to put it on after taking pictures at the top. I had two jerseys on and was still cold walking to the summit.

One of the guys I rode with that day, ADDED Mt Evans to his Triple-Bypass ride this year. Of course, at 48, he has youth on his side. :D

This preformance enhancing drug you speak of is being used in some of the local skilled nursing facilities to reduce the incidences of hip fractures in elderly men. It is given prior to sleep and it is reported it keeps these little old men from rollong out of the bed. :rolleyes: :D :lol: Lp

Nothing beats little chocolate donuts.

TdF legal drug of choice???

The group I was with started at Echo Lake, 10,600 ASL. I'd like to do the climb again starting from Idaho Springs, 7,524 ASL. Maybe during the 50+ weekend some of us could drive over and do it?

I think this is the most important question.

Now if you really want to impress us, start from where I did, a suburb of Denver. I tried it twice last summer. It took me 120 miles and 10,000' of climbing just to get to Echo Lake, at which point I was just too wasted and it was too late in the day to try for the summit. The last time I was up there I met two guys from Boulder who had started from Bergen Park. They were planning to try for a Boulder -> Mt Evans ride in August.

Now if you really want to impress us, start from where I did, a suburb of Denver. I tried it twice last summer. It took me 120 miles and 10,000' of climbing just to get to Echo Lake, at which point I was just too wasted and it was too late in the day to try for the summit. The last time I was up there I met two guys from Boulder who had started from Bergen Park. They were planning to try for a Boulder -> Mt Evans ride in August.

Not trying to impress anyone. Trying to motivate.

If I can do it

living and training at 400 feet,
only 19 months after dropping a 35-year smoking habit, and
with only 1½ lungs,

anyone can. (To keep on topic with the thread, did I mention without "benefit" of any blue pills?)

Frankly I was amazed at how easy the climb was. Sure it was work, but I never left Zone 4 on my HRM. I spike into Zone 5 at home with alarming regularity.

All too often I see people not even trying to do things because they assume that because of age, disease or injury that they can't. To that I say, hogwash!

I used to be that kind of person, assuming I couldn't do things, so I never tried. I changed, learning to try anyway. And guess what? I did it, so can you!

MY question is what kind of shorts/bibs would do the best job of concealing the side effect of this performance enhancer?

Baggy, very baggy.

Tsl's story is fantastic. It makes me feel like I might have the audacity of hope in my cycling exploits.

I don't use those medications but if I ever have I have gotten migainoid headaches from them, a heck of a trade-off for the intended effect. I wouldn't enjoy a bike ride nursing that kind of headache.

MY question is what kind of shorts/bibs would do the best job of concealing the side effect of this performance enhancer?


Not red ones.

Not red ones.
I'm still trying to flush that image out of my mind.:twitchy:

Would the test for the use of this drug actually be all that complicated? :lol:

Not to divert the thread or anything, but...

we need to have a poll: which race has the hottest podium girls, TdF or the Vuelta d'Espana or whatever it's called?

I didn't have time to try the top of Mt. Evans, but I've done Triple Bypass two years running, and this time did the climb to Loveland pass without stopping (last year had to stop once). I'm 54, also train at roughly 300 feet (Wa, DC) and only get in occasional rides on the Blueridge, for a little climbing up to 3500 feet.

This whole thread, as, uh, a joke, but, also a comment on the effects of high altitude rides.

The day before Triple Bypass, a friend of mine drove with me to the top of Mt. Evans, and I REALLY felt the altitude just walking around, even felt the dreaded altitude headache coming on. The odd thing is that, the next day, I didn't have nearly that difficulty getting over Loveland at 12,000 feet. My conclusion is that you're worse off -resting- at 14,000 feet than if you're working. I find my breathing gets into full panting much sooner than it does at sea level, for a given heart rate. The air is thinner, so you just breathe more :). Resting is a different situation and I think the body doesn't compensate as well.

If TBP is on the agenda next year, I'm gonna get that Mt. Evans summit.

If male athletes start using viagra i bet there'll be a lot more female sports fans.

About a month ago we (the Denver Bike Touring Club) got a call they were doing a shoot for
ESPN's E:60 program. So over 4 hours , 11 of us participated in a helicoper video shoot (it was a drone). Making background footage for a story they were going to air in about a month. no interviews (or free samples) just scenic footage in Deer Creek Canyon just SW of Denver. Not until after they completed the filming did they tell us the story was on viagria and its benefits at bicycling at high altitude. They promised to send us the footage of the shoot.