Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "AICA ribonucleotide" in English language version.
The commission, formed in 2013 by the sport's governing body, interviewed 174 experts, riders, doctors and team officials. It found a flood of new substances or methods used to enhance blood oxygen capacity include Aicar, Xenon gas, ozone therapy, ITPP, Gas6, Actovegin, various forms of EPO such as CERA, 'Eprex', EPO zeta, EPO Retacrit, Neorecormon, and Albumina. Most of these are used to help patients with severe anemia or blood disorders.
There will always be new drugs, such as the weight-loss drug Aicar, which enables riders to shed up to 7kg and yet still maintain their power output. Obviously, it takes time to develop tests for these but it needs to be agreed that retrospective testing can secure sanctions.
The core elements to achieve performance enhancement through doping in cycling have remained the same over the years: firstly, increasing the blood's oxygen carrying capacity, and, secondly, stimulating muscle growth and aiding muscle recovery. Over the years riders have adapted the substances and methods used to achieve these goals in response to: (i) the type of substances available and accessible on the pharmaceutical market (e.g., various EPO generations); (ii) specific drug detection capabilities of laboratories, (e.g., the switch from EPO to blood transfusions or to ozone therapy, or even towards the so-called 'oxygen in a pill' in the form of GW1516 and AICAR); and (iii) other anti-doping tools, such as the ABP which has led to micro-dosing (see below).
The core elements to achieve performance enhancement through doping in cycling have remained the same over the years: firstly, increasing the blood's oxygen carrying capacity, and, secondly, stimulating muscle growth and aiding muscle recovery. Over the years riders have adapted the substances and methods used to achieve these goals in response to: (i) the type of substances available and accessible on the pharmaceutical market (e.g., various EPO generations); (ii) specific drug detection capabilities of laboratories, (e.g., the switch from EPO to blood transfusions or to ozone therapy, or even towards the so-called 'oxygen in a pill' in the form of GW1516 and AICAR); and (iii) other anti-doping tools, such as the ABP which has led to micro-dosing (see below).