MPCC is delighted to be able to count now on the opinion of 7 endocrinologist experts (from USA, Belgium, Italy, Sweden and France) who unanimously validate two key MPCC principles in the field of health:
– Corticosteroids use enhances the performance
– An abnormally low cortisol level endangers rider health during periods of high stress.
Every MPCC member team representative attending the doctors meeting confirmed the wish to continue performing cortisol level tests. They even want to increase the number of controls carried out (615 this year). Last August, tests were made for the first time in the Eneco Tour. MPCC wants to extend the cortisol monitoring to new countries in 2016 as well as to women’s teams which are members of the movement.
Regarding the issue of the use of corticosteroids, WADA has established a working group – chaired by Valérie Fourneyron – which MPCC and its experts will be invited to cooperate with.
Moreover tramadol will be added to the list of substances prohibited in competition from January1, 2016. This was a long standing request by MPCC to WADA.
The new representative doctors of MPCC member teams are:
– Dr. Guillaume Sarre (AG2R La Mondiale)
– Dr. Servaas Bingé (Lotto-Soudal)
The General Assembly lamented five teams’ failure to comply with the commitment they expressed to MPCC on their own volition: Astana, Lotto-Jumbo, Lampre-Merida, Southeast and Bardiani-CSF.
MPCC also welcomed the fact that the UCI considers the movement as reflective of the majority of professionnal teams by adopting in its rules the principle of self-suspension which is applied by MPCC members since its very inception.
As requested by MPCC, the Professional Cycling Council (CCP) decided to allow a team to replace a rider in the case of force majeure, including that of an abnormally low cortisol level at the start on a grand tour.