Photo by: Simon Cudby
With the lunacy surrounding Broc Tickle and his ridiculous suspension handed down from WADA [World Anti Doping Agency], I felt it necessary to find an expert who could help me understand what the hell is going on here. Dr. Jonathan Edwards is a practicing anesthesiologist in Las Vegas, NV. He has worked with several professional cycling teams including Ag2R La Mondiale (Tour de France team) and has 15 plus years of experience dealing with the WADA and anti-doping system and professional athletes. He received his medical degree from Eastern Virginia University medical school and he runs www.docedwardsfitness.com where he offers a multitude of services to amateur and professional athletes.
Some notable athletes Dr. Edwards has worked with include former UFC Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate, UFC Lightweight Title Challenger Gray Maynard and reigning Supercross and Outdoor 250cc National Champion Zach Osborne among many others. He takes great care in researching anything they put into their bodies, and in today’s unregulated world of supplements, this can be a full time job.
When I heard the news about Broc Tickle getting suspended, I contacted Dr. Edwards. Not only is he a certified medical doctor, he can haul ass on a Motocross bike. There are not many practicing doctors that can kick my ass on a Motocross bike, but Dr. Edwards is one of those guys. But getting back to Broc and WADA, I really wanted him to weigh in on the subject. With his education and experience racing Motocross he is the perfect guy to understand the chemicals WADA tests for and how they relate to a Motocross/Supercross racer.
What is your opinion of the current drug testing procedures from WADA and what is the difference between WADA and USADA?
“The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) is the national anti-doping organization for Olympic and Para-Olympic American sports in the United States. USADA is a private organization and is NOT a branch or office of the federal government. They are responsible for administering anti-doping tests and managing the results. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is the international organization responsible for creating the WADA Code. The WADA Code provides a global framework for anti-doping policies, rules and regulations within sport organizations and among public authorities, such as USADA. The WADA Code was developed in 2004 and harmonizes the regulations regarding anti-doping matters across all sports and countries of the world.
The implementation of the WADA Code in motocross is unique. The FIM Monster Energy Supercross Series enlists WADA to assist with their testing procedures and the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship enlists USADA for their testing. Even more confusing, WADA officials conduct their tests with the assistance of both USADA and FIM personnel.
I think the drug testing procedures are a good step forward, but there are pros and cons. Having an organization like USADA involved will help to deter athletes from taking the main performance enhancing medications such as testosterone, growth hormones and erythropoietin (EPO). Also, this hopefully deters parents from giving their kids any type of performance enhancing medications or supplements. I have read about pre-teens kids being banned for performance enhancing drugs given to them by their parents.”
“The most obvious flaw of the testing is the reality of doping occurrences and the number of positive tests. Roughly 300 positive results arise from about 300,000 annual tests (1%). Yet it is estimated that doping prevalence is about 20-30 percent (as an average across all sports and countries; Dimeo P et al.) The science of testing cannot keep up with doping innovators. The athletes with the best doctors have the best chance of beating the system.
Some downfalls of testing procedures are the collateral damage of wrong and disproportionate sanctions which will likely be the case for Broc Tickle. The decisions around positive cases are inconsistent and involve a complex appeals process that favors USADA and WADA. The fact that the WADA code now calls for a 4-year suspension means that a motocross athlete will likely lose their career over a positive result. Most athletes have little money for a legal defense and thus give up in the face of powerful global agencies and rigid rules, even if they have scientific experts willing to provide evidence in support of their appeal. Finally, there’s a lot of improvement needed to create a fair process as doping relates to athletics.”
Is testing athletes in Supercross effective in actually catching cheaters?
“I think it is for the most part. USADA has a good track record of catching cheaters in cycling, running and weight lifting. If someone is taking testosterone or EPO, there is a good chance they will be caught as the testing for these medications have really developed over the years. For example, there is a urine test that can detect EPO 30 days from its administration. Obviously, it is quite easy to detect stimulants like Adderall and Methylhexanamine.”
What banned substances would benefit a Supercross racer, and do you think anyone is beating the system?
“Motocross athletes are going to benefit from Testosterone, Growth Hormone, and EPO. They all increase recovery, strength and VO2. It is hard to say if taking a stimulant like Adderall or Methylhexanamine would really improve performance in supercross or motocross. It might help at the elite level. Motocross is unique because an average rider can take all the PED’s available and they will still not be able to compete at the top level. Whereas in cycling, an average cyclist can achieve very good results taking PED’s.”
What would you do to help an athlete avoid a false positive?
“Do your homework and know what you put into your body. There is no magic formula. It is more about having the right team around you, especially somebody who has extensive experience in nutrition, supplements, medications and the anti-doping process. It might cost a little money, but when you think of what a positive result will cost you, it is not a lot in the grand scheme of things. If a supplement is making claims that you will gain muscle or endurance instantly, those are the supplements that most likely contain illegal substances. USADA even publishes a list of these high risk dietary supplements. Only use supplements from pharmaceutical grade companies. Good pharmacists talk directly to these companies and they intricately know how the supplement is made and have a certificate of analysis regarding the purity of the product. Finally, use the resource GlobalDRO.org. You can type any substance into the search engine and find out if it is permitted or banned, and in or out of competition.”
After listening to Dr. Edwards, a couple things he said really caught my attention. First, was that an estimated 1 out of 4 athletes in the WADA/USADA program is cheating. Out of an estimated 25 cheaters they only catch one. Sounds to me like this testing is garbage. Also, I am pretty blown away that parents would put their children on PED’s before puberty. After hearing this information I am even more convinced that WADA/USADA drug testing is a joke, catching an estimated 1 out of 25 cheaters is not acceptable. Odds like this don’t do much to deter cheating. I don’t have the solution, but I know for sure WADA doesn’t belong in Supercross!
