[polish coyote]

Not sure if this is a taboo subject to be talked about here, but I'll give it a shot.

I've been a spectator at a few 24hr events and have raced solo a few times. It seems
that there are some references to lsd/acid use by some competitors. I do know of a few
racers that have used it during competition, some with better results that others. Personally I have never used it during a race, nor do I ever intend to. I have tried it in my youth(early 20's) and can see how it could be a performance enhancer during solo24 races.
Does anyone have any stories or other information about lsd being used by endurance
racers? I'm not looking for you to point fingers or name names. Just stories, or maybe
take a guess at the number of competitors that do it. Maybe even opinions about someone who might choose to do this.
In my opinion it's cheating, doping or whatever you want you want to call it.
If I had to GUESS about the number racers, I would say maybe 30-40%.

 

[nhodge]

Not sure if this is a taboo subject to be talked about here, but I'll give it a shot.

I've been a spectator at a few 24hr events and have raced solo a few times. It seems
that there are some references to lsd/acid use by some competitors. I do know of a few
racers that have used it during competition, some with better results that others. Personally I have never used it during a race, nor do I ever intend to. I have tried it in my youth(early 20's) and can see how it could be a performance enhancer during solo24 races.
Does anyone have any stories or other information about lsd being used by endurance
racers? I'm not looking for you to point fingers or name names. Just stories, or maybe
take a guess at the number of competitors that do it. Maybe even opinions about someone who might choose to do this.
In my opinion it's cheating, doping or whatever you want you want to call it.
If I had to GUESS about the number racers, I would say maybe 30-40%.

racing competetively...in 24 hr. events...solo...on acid? riiight.

 

[CulBaire]

No see what he really means is L.S.D or long slow distance... I do it all the time


I cant say I have heard of any storeies like this, but I dare say it would happen somewhere in the world; how efective it would be, I dont know. The only preformance enhancing drugs aussie solo riders are on is ... Beer Although thats nromally reserved for those who choose to ride with only 1 gear for 24hrs.... Crazy bastards

 

[redsnakebite]

No way are 30-40% of solo racers on acid. Where do you get an idea like that? There may be some drug/alcohol use among the "just for fun" crowd, but acid, no way, certainly not by the folks trying for top ressults.

Plus, would you really want to race a bike at 2:00am, in technical terrain, already tired, while hallucinating, no f**king way!!

I can see some people taking stimulants of some sort to stay awake. People drink coke, redbull and ginseng or other asian stimulants. Acid?, no way especially if you are hallucinating!

 

[bozizle]

Hmm

Not sure if this is a taboo subject to be talked about here, but I'll give it a shot.

I've been a spectator at a few 24hr events and have raced solo a few times. It seems
that there are some references to lsd/acid use by some competitors. I do know of a few
racers that have used it during competition, some with better results that others. Personally I have never used it during a race, nor do I ever intend to. I have tried it in my youth(early 20's) and can see how it could be a performance enhancer during solo24 races.
Does anyone have any stories or other information about lsd being used by endurance
racers? I'm not looking for you to point fingers or name names. Just stories, or maybe
take a guess at the number of competitors that do it. Maybe even opinions about someone who might choose to do this.
In my opinion it's cheating, doping or whatever you want you want to call it.
If I had to GUESS about the number racers, I would say maybe 30-40%.

I could possibly accept the concept that a small dose may give you that energetic alive feeling without to hard of a trip. However I doubt it in 24 hr races. I know for a FACT that many elite XC/SS racers on the East Coast have been known for doing "Day Trips" which consist of munching shrooms and riding 50 + miles at a very fast pace.Many of these guys you have heard of before and have recently won certain titles in 2005. I know this isn't a every weekend kind of ride but it does happen and many that I know who race semi pro partake in marijuana as well. Not sure why but there are plenty that do.

 

[kenpuke]

Not sure if this is a taboo subject to be talked about here, but I'll give it a shot.

I've been a spectator at a few 24hr events and have raced solo a few times. It seems
that there are some references to lsd/acid use by some competitors. I do know of a few
racers that have used it during competition, some with better results that others. Personally I have never used it during a race, nor do I ever intend to. I have tried it in my youth(early 20's) and can see how it could be a performance enhancer during solo24 races.
Does anyone have any stories or other information about lsd being used by endurance
racers? I'm not looking for you to point fingers or name names. Just stories, or maybe
take a guess at the number of competitors that do it. Maybe even opinions about someone who might choose to do this.
In my opinion it's cheating, doping or whatever you want you want to call it.
If I had to GUESS about the number racers, I would say maybe 30-40%.

That sounds pretty wild. Like some of the earlier posters, I think if you were going to use acid, you would need to be VERY confident of the source of the acid and the dosage you would need to injest. The effects of acid can be affected by personality, mood, user expectation and surroundings. While taken in small doses, LSD may not lead to hallucinations, but the higher body temperature, increased heart rate and blood pressure, sweating, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, dry mouth, and tremors may be enough to steer you away from it as a "performance" enhancer. Sleep deprivation will give you some boffo hallucinations and it's all natural!!! When I feel like endangering my life on the trails, I usually resort to a whiskey-binge or some lightless full moon night riding. Try other stimulants before you decide to start experimenting with LSD. Just b/c it worked for Cary Grant doesn't mean it'll work for you....................

 

[the toninator]

30% of racers on drugs? you must be high.

drugs are bad

 

[wilsons racing]

I'm supprised that someone who has raced solo would ask a question like this.Maybe your getting pure energy drain mixed up with drug use.

 

[mp3]

Now if you said 3-4% of all MTB racers use drugs, all types of drugs not just LSD, that might be more believable, still a little high in my opinion, but 30-40%??? What would be the point? There isn't much $$$$ in MTB racing anyway.

 

[teamdicky]

Lemme see

Does anyone see some potential for sponsorship here? Maybe the meth-lab down the street is looking for a little exposure.
Guarana and ibuprofen is as far as I have ever gone drug-wise in a race. I am not counting beer as a drug though.

 

[Pedals]

No way!!!!!

It's tough enough surviving a 24hr race solo let alone on any kind of hallucinigen.Rumours are a bad thing.From any 24hr events over the last six or so years I raced in them this is the first I've heard.Sure some teams or supporters may use the odd beer or herb..but to risk a mind altering drug on yourself or anyone else especially if your competitive would be foolish.At 3am in the morning the mind does a good enough job sketching you out.I think not even 3 or 4% would do this although theirs always fools in the mix.I call lies.

 

[Broussard]

Lsd

Are you certain you haven't overheard and misinterpreted "LSD" for acid?

I hear people joke all the time about "doing LSD" by which they mean "long
slow distance" training. Could that be what you're hearing, or are these
folks seriously specifically saying they're dropping a tab before the race?

I can't imagine a third of endurance racers tripping balls at an event. Maybe
that's why I always get the crap beat out of me....

ZB

 

[whittij]

Are you certain you haven't overheard and misinterpreted "LSD" for acid?

I hear people joke all the time about "doing LSD" by which they mean "long
slow distance" training. Could that be what you're hearing, or are these
folks seriously specifically saying they're dropping a tab before the race?

I can't imagine a third of endurance racers tripping balls at an event. Maybe
that's why I always get the crap beat out of me....

ZB

you'd end-up sitting on the side of the trail, watching all the pretty bikes go by...

 

[sherpaxc]

zach, i think you ment that's why you kick the crap out of people. BTW people, this dude KILLED the field at the last 12hr in sandford, nc. Homey, you lapped me after 6 hours! Back on topic though, no way on the drugs (once again, beer not included). People put in way to much time and effort in "training" for these races...Trav

 

[polish coyote]

Bozizle that is exactly the kind of info that I was looking for. Now, if these guys are
elite level they know what type of training works best for them. The fact that they do
train this way indicates to me that it either increases their speed, endurance, or technical
ability. As there are no wasted workouts for a pro, everything is done for a reason.
For those that think "no way". Next time your are at a race take some time out and
walk around. Watch people, listen, hell even straight out ask them. You might be surprised at what some people will tell you. Look for riders with very dilated pupils,
thats always a dead give away.
Every substance effects each person in different ways. Whether it's alcohol, caffeine,
sugar, or Gatorade all different for everyone. Some of you mention drinking alcohol at a 24hr race. Personally I could never do that if I have a beer I want to go to sleep not ride
my bike at night. It's really just a matter of what your body is conditioned to doing. I really
don't think any of these guys are "tripping balls" they have just enough to keep them awake, stimulated, and focused. Trust me they are not sitting on the side of the trail
playing in the dirt and looking at all the pretty lights. They have done it and know exactly
how much to use.
As for the motivation issue that's easy, to win and also to get prize money. Some of these bigger races can have prize purses for the top three that approach $10,000. Whenever money is involved people justify themselves doing crazy things. Think about this: NORBA pros get ZERO prize money. The top racers are tested after each big race, and also out of competition tested year round. Yet there are still a couple that get busted every year. They mave no prize money at stake yet they are still doping. Now endurance
racers can compete for thousands of dollars and never get tested for anything ever. Why would some people not try to cheat. Please correct me if I'm wrong but I have never seen
any type of anti-doping rules or even guidelines for 24hr races. Maybe you could say that
us mtbers are just really nice people. You know what, most of us are. Do you remember
who else where nice people? Try Filip, Tyler, Roland, Sheppard and the list goes on and on.

 

[Guitar Ted]

Very Questionable

I find it extremely difficult to believe that LSD, "acid", or any other type of halucinogen is being used in a systematic way to enhance the performance of a 24 hour solo racer. Here's why: First, nutritional needs are super important, obviously, and you rightly state that several people will react to the same product differently. I also would like to point out that even an individual will react differently to the same product at random times. Example: a solo athlete has his nutrition for his events nailed, yet has a problem injesting calories, or has a total body shutdown during an event. I know athletes that have had this occur to them, and they are not using illegal drugs. To infer that some percentage of solo athletes at 24 hour events are using a highly volatile halucinagetic substance with any degree of control is a highly suspect notion, based on the fact that most are still having issues with getting consistent results with thier nutrition. The stresses put on the body during these events leads to a very fine line between sucess and failure, in a physical sense, so I'm not buying the drug use angle.

You mention looking for people with dialated pupils. This proves nothing, other than the individual has dialated pupils. Several things could account for that observation, including physical trauma, which I'm sure occurs from time to time during an 24 hour event. Caffiene could cause that, and so could several other drugs. If I were looking for some sort of illegal drug use amongst endurance athletes I would think more along the lines of psuedo-ephedrine, or crystal meth, not some halucinagetic substance such as "shrooms" or the like.

Just my take on the matter.

 

[Brown_Teeth]

Well amgen the maker of EPO is sponsoring the Tour of CA. stranger thing happen as for dropping cid for a ride to compete? LOL, sounds stupid but then again mescalin or shrooms might stoke up some for a while but to race on it sounds down right foolish to me! But EPO and crystal meth might be another story.

 

[mp3]

I was tested after a 24 hour race. Although LSD is on the banned list of subtances I'd think someone who wanted some advantage racing a 24 hour solo race would want to use something like modafinil. It's a "wake promoter" used to treat narcolepsy and it's definitely on the banned list. Supposedly it keeps a person awake and focused for 8 hours then when it wears off the body isn't supposed to feel tired from not sleeping. It's used in parts of the military, ie airforce pilots that have very long missions.

Besides Moab and perhaps the Kona Global series where are these megabuck solo races supposed to be?

 

[hamburgerhelper]

I had a friend in high school that took 4 hits of acid at a party in Watsonville stole a puch moped and pedaled it home to Santa Cruz, about 15 miles...we passed him going up one of the biggest hills in Santa Cruz and tried to tell him to turn the motor over but he wouldn't listen he was on fire!!

 

[LyndaW]

The podium was drug tested at NORBA 24-hour Natz this year. As far as I know everyone came up clean. One of the biggest limiters to 24-hr race performance is keeping your stomach running and muscles fueled.I doubt LSD would be any good for that - its really more than 24 hours, often 25 hours for the winners.

I certainly felt like I was on drugs after racing unsupported solo at Kona Sleepless in the Saddle this year. Who needs anything else?