It’s an economic, social and cultural phenomenon. It’s an open secret among the rich and famous, and a new South Park Specialand pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk Becoming Europe’s most valuable companyOzempic and Mounjaro (made by competitor Eli Lilly and Co.) and a family of related drugs known as GLP-1 and GIPGLP-1 agonistswas developed to manage type 2 diabetes, but quickly became known for its significant effects on appetite suppression and weight loss.
Pharmaceutical companies have been searching for decades for the best drug commercially available – one that is both safe and effective for weight loss. Many contenders entered the market, but none survived in the long term. So these drugs came along, and additional types such as Wegovy (the same drug as Ozempic, but in a slightly higher dose) were approved specifically for weight loss.
Demand soared, leading to a global shortage of semaglutide (the generic name for Ozempic and Wegovi), leaving people with type 2 diabetes unable to get the medication their doctors prescribed. Some countries restricted prescribing to people without diabetes. What happened next was pretty predictable: Fueled by unsustainable demand, compounding pharmacies began taking on the problem themselves. Allegedly mass producing drugsIn some cases, Counterfeit versions of the drug are allegedly being manufactured.in Substandard conditionSold online and shipped worldwide.
What does this have to do with cycling? They say sports reflect society, but over the past year, Escape Collective The team became aware of the heavy use of these weight loss drugs among some (non-professional) parts of the cycling community: When the roads start to slope, weight becomes important, and in a sport that values the slender physiques of many global superstars, the allure of easy weight loss is such that it is no surprise to see Ozempic, Wegobi, Maunjaro and related drugs appearing in our sport.
For those unfamiliar, these are injectable medications that are taken in a similar way to insulin. The early GLP-1 agonists came out in the mid-2000s and had to be taken twice a day for diabetes management. Then came extended-release versions, and in 2017, semaglutide (Ozempic) came onto the market as a once-weekly injectable. If you’re wondering whether these drugs are banned substances from a sports perspective, they’re not. However, No Needle Policy The UCI and other organizations prohibit injections that lack a clear medical basis, but as we will soon see, there are many reasons why elite and professional athletes are not tempted to inject.
This group of drugs works by mimicking the action of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP). These peptides have multiple effects, including lowering blood sugar levels, which was originally used to treat diabetes. But in addition to that, GLP-1 slows food emptying from the stomach, so you feel fuller sooner and for longer. It is also thought to have a broad effect on appetite suppression, probably acting in the brain, although how and why is not fully understood. GIP reduces gastric acid secretion and also slows down the initial phase of digestion in the stomach. It also has the effect of increasing the body’s insulin sensitivity and lowering blood sugar levels. It may also interact with the body’s fat cells themselves.
we, Escape Collective A member, who wished to remain anonymous, tried Ozempic for a few weeks, ordering it from an online pharmacy in Australia: “I filled out some information on the website and lied about my BMI (they want something over 26). [which classifies someone as ‘overweight’ – ed.]), my doctor called me on the phone for about 60 seconds, and then the box was in the mail.” The effect on appetite was immediately noticeable: “It definitely suppressed my appetite – in a really good way, actually. I was able to comfortably eat about 2,000 calories per day, feel satisfied, and still enjoy food. Although I only lost 5-8 lbs (over 2-3 weeks), I could clearly see the difference in my body fat in the mirror. I was also concerned about muscle loss, so I continued to lift weights a few days a week.”
This explanation certainly aligns with research showing that GLP-1 and/or GIP agonists have a greater impact on weight than lifestyle change alone, but are not as effective as bariatric surgery. However, buyer beware: this is not a one-and-done solution. When users stop taking the medication, they tend to regain most or all of the weight they lost.
The weight loss benefits of Ozempic, Munjaro, and related drugs are undeniable, but as with all medicines, there are trade-offs. Common officially reported side effects of both drugs include gastrointestinal problems such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, but these are thought to be most severe the first time the drug is taken and subside after a while. As with any injection, there is a risk of developing an infection around the injection site, and if you inject into the same place on your body every time, there is also a risk of developing a hardened fatty mass under your skin.
Acute pancreatitis is a more serious but less common side effect. Other reports from users of this drug include feeling depressed, sometimes severely depressed. This is with the genuine product. Reports collected from people who took inadequately combined medications There are a variety of other side effects, both officially recognized and reported by patients: Most people who start taking Ozempic stop taking it within the first four weeks.Especially for users who do not regularly see a specialist.
Cyclists can imagine how gastrointestinal side effects can have a detrimental effect on high-level performance. Even if the symptoms subside within a few weeks, for a cyclist who trains a lot, a drug that makes it harder for the body to get the fuel it needs is clearly a performance limiter rather than a performance enhancer. Pharmaceutical appetite suppressants are not a good strategy when you’re regularly consuming thousands of calories every day.
But for non-elite cyclists, are these drugs useful? I can’t answer that from a purely health perspective, as I’m not a doctor and this isn’t medical advice. run away Members have shared their experiences combining Ozempic with exercise: “Additional effects of Ozempic included total lack of performance (legs burning after 5 hard pedal strokes), extreme mood swings, and severe intestinal upset (which went away the next day).”
It is unclear to what extent these side effects will lessen over time, and some have suggested that pharmacologically suppressing appetite also takes away the pleasure of eating, which can be a real shame for someone who lives to eat, rather than eats to live. Overall, in our case, the negatives outweighed the positives. run away I became a member and, along with many other Ozempic users, stopped taking the medication within the first month.
“What I learned is that cycling and exercising at my moderate (relative) level is much better than the significant performance-limiting barriers that semaglutide creates,” they say. “I thought I could easily cycle at a slightly lower intensity while losing weight, but it was still so uncomfortable that I nearly gave up exercising altogether. I can see how this might be an attractive way for sedentary people to lose weight, (but for me) the side effects of this drug are far better and worth the discomfort and discipline of good food.”
Perhaps what struck me most when discussing this with the EC team was the debate they were seeing within the cycling community about these drugs. The debate was not with recreational cyclists with a family history of heart disease or diabetes. Nor were the elite or professional cyclists. It was primarily with Masters cyclists who once raced competitively but whose age, work and family responsibilities meant they no longer cycle as often or at the same level as they once did. They are still in pretty good health compared to their peers and are not overweight by any definition, but they just don’t “look like a cyclist” anymore. It seems that those most interested in weight loss drugs within the cycling community are those who refuse to accept the transition from Masters to MAMIL with grace. Everyone has an ego.
That was it Escape Collective We join because we love to ride and we love the sport of cycling. But there’s a fine line between cycling being a hobby and it being core to one’s identity. To make matters worse, the silhouettes of the figures on the pedestals on which we often position our champions are incredibly thin. When we’re riding at close range in skin-tight Lycra, the conversation quickly turns to the size and shape of people’s bodies. We casually use phrases like “eating is cheating” and comment that someone “looks healthy” when they’ve visibly lost body fat. It’s no surprise that negative body image and eating disorders are rampant among cyclists.
Approximately 80% of cyclists surveyedFrom club to international level, many players have reported trying to lose weight for their sport in the past year. But sometimes the skinniest players are not the fittest or healthiest. They are the ones who suffer in silence, with their food, their sport, and their lives all affected by an eating disorder.
What would it take for cyclists to feel better about their bodies and not feel the need to look for pharmaceutical solutions to a problem that has nothing to do with health, but is purely cosmetic? This is of course not a problem specific to cycling, but our sport has a lot of additional factors that don’t help. We must remember that the best riders in the world are different from the rest of us, both in their ability to convert food into watts and in their body composition. Only a handful can achieve such a physique without sacrificing health and performance. And weight loss drugs can’t change that.
The culture within the cycling community also needs to improve. Whether in person or online, comments about people’s bodies matter. Whether they’re compliments for a pro or disparagement for a local peer, these comments all contribute to poor body image. Phrases like “eating is cheating” may seem like a bit of a joke, but they seep into our subconscious and trigger feelings of guilt and shame around food for many. Even positive comments like “wow, you look great” may be well-intentioned, but they can act as an endorsement of someone’s restrictive or unhealthy eating habits and, in some cases, lead to them choosing to turn to weight loss drugs in order to fit in with their peers.
Just because others don’t fuel during their rides or stop at a cafe afterward doesn’t mean you shouldn’t either. Maybe you can be a good example to inspire them to fuel well. Compliment your fellow riders on their wattage, bike handling skills, or road etiquette, but avoid complimenting them on their weight, shape, or eating habits.
Ultimately, the demand for Ozempic and other weight loss drugs in cycling is not necessarily higher than in society at large. But it does shed light on the social and cultural aspects of our sport that may contribute to body dissatisfaction, mental illness and their consequences. Of course, there are plenty of people who cycle with diabetes and other health issues, and I don’t want to dismiss their use of these drugs or their medical advice. But that’s quite another thing to order drugs of unknown quality online, with little medical advice, in the pursuit of just “looking like a cyclist.”
If you can ride a bike, you’re already a cyclist. That’s enough.
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