UCI will not ban ketone bottles: "Not performance-enhancing, but we still advise against their use"

Ketones have been used in the peloton for quite some time. Many large teams had already started using the substance: Visma | Lease a Bike, for example, partnered with a new ketone producer last year, and the team still swears by its use. Ketones are chemicals produced by the body when it burns fat instead of glucose or energy. In bottle form, they promote recovery and also improve the athlete's sleep.

That is why, for a long time, riders were seen downing a small bottle immediately after the race. However, the MPCC, the movement for credible cycling, sounded the alarm, claiming that the substance was performance-enhancing and should therefore be added to the list of banned substances. The UCI subsequently investigated, but the cycling union did not initially obtain credible results.

“The results of the investigation suggested that ketones, taken before or during exercise, could improve cycling performance,” the UCI said in a press statement. “However, these results were not confirmed by subsequent studies, and there is now a consensus that such supplements do not affect performance during endurance exercise.”

New studies then showed that ketones actually promoted the production of internal EPO and that recovery immediately after exercise improved. The International Cycling Union now contradicts this. “However, several ensuing studies then drew attention to the potential benefits of ketones when it comes to the rapidity and quality of post-exercise recovery.”

Performance-enhancing, not performance-enhancing... Despite the results of the study, the UCI hopes that the use of ketones will disappear. "As there is no compelling evidence that ketone supplements enhance performance or recovery, the UCI sees no reason for them to be used. Therefore, the UCI does not recommend the inclusion of such supplements in riders' nutritional plans."