Reports in Britain claim that Team Sky tested whether Viagra could be used by their cyclists.
The Daily Mail state that the team tested the drug in a training camp in 2010. At least one rider was prescribed the drug as the team looked to see if it provided any medical benefits.
Viagra is not on the banned-substances list, by it's usage to increase blood flow is well known. In 2008, it was reportedly set to be banned.
Victor Conte, the BALCO founder, who supplied drugs to American athletes such as Marion Jones and Barry Bonds, claimed he used the drug with some of his athletes. "All my athletes took it. It's bigger than creatine", Conte claimed in 2008.
Team Sky: medical and anti-doping practices: https://t.co/UKisQ4oo2U pic.twitter.com/qh1ImmiZlU
— Team Sky 🚲 (@TeamSky) March 7, 2017
The reported use of Viagra by Team Sky, continues to ask questions about their policies when it comes to supplement usage along with use of Therapeutic Use Exemptions.
There is a historical link between Viagra and cycling. During the 2008 Giro d'Italia, Gerolsteiner rider Andrea Moletta was withdrawn from the race, after 82 Viagra pills, along with syringes were found in his father's car.
While no rules are claimed to have been broken by Team Sky, the use of Viagra in 2010, shows how the team were willing to try and use what was available to them, in a bid to gain an advantage.
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