The numbers for cyclists are particularly high. Elite endurance athletes typically have high VO2 max values because they’re able to absorb the large amount of oxygen needed to sustain them over hours of hard work. Professional athletes in sports such as soccer and hockey usually register in the 50s or low 60s. The average person has a VO2 max of around 45.

VO2 max is typically expressed in milliliters of oxygen used per kilogram of body weight per hour of activity. Also known as maximal oxygen uptake, VO2 max represents your ability to transport and utilize oxygen during periods of high exertion.ĭoctors measure VO2 max by putting a patient on an exercise apparatus - usually a treadmill or stationary bike - and raising the intensity of exercise every two or three minutes until the subject can no longer sustain the activity. To appreciate how hard the competitors work during a multi-stage cycling race, you have to understand an exercise physiology concept known as VO2 max. Among the questions this depressing fact raises is: Why is doping so effective in cycling?

Indeed, since 1995, all but two of the winners of the race have been implicated in doping controversies. In his admission to Oprah Winfrey last week that he had taken performance-enhancing drugs, cycling legend Lance Armstrong argued that it was not possible to win the Tour de France seven times in a row without doping.

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