ITA Exploring Power Data for Anti-Doping
A two-year ITA study is investigating whether longitudinal power data could become a valuable intelligence tool to strengthen anti-doping efforts in cycling - and potentially triathlon.
ITA
Some intriguing news on the anti-doping front: the International Testing Agency (ITA) has launched a two-year feasibility study looking at whether longitudinal power data could become a supplementary tool in enhanced anti-doping efforts.
Importantly, this is not about proving doping through power numbers alone. Rather, it is looking at whether this data could be part of a larger intelligence tool that could contribute to enhanced performance monitoring and anti-doping enforcement over time by modelling a range of normal performance progressions to help flag potential abnormalities worth a closer look.
More About the Project
This project involves approximately 60 riders from WorldTeams and ProTeams who have volunteered to participate. In Phase 1 of the study, researchers are analyzing riders’ retroactive power data to better understand trends and what constitutes “normal” performance progression versus unusual deviations.
The focus is on race data as the primary metric of performance, with training data providing additional context where appropriate. Researchers are also aiming to account for potentially confounding variables such as power meter accuracy, race dynamics, rider specialization, environmental conditions, and normal performance variation, while assessing whether they are able to come up with modelling that could prove useful to anti-doping. (For example, it could help identify athletes for targeted testing, inform decisions on long-term sample storage, trigger additional laboratory analysis, or support broader investigations alongside biological and intelligence evidence.)
If the feasibility portion of the study shows promise (Phase 1), Phase 2 will consist of using real-time data going forward to further test and refine a potential approach that integrates power.
Why This Matters for Triathlon
This study represents the first structured scientific effort to determine whether power data has legitimate value within an anti-doping framework. Importantly, the ITA specifically noted that, if the approach proves scientifically valid and operationally useful in cycling, it could eventually be expanded, including to triathlon.