Sounds weird?<\/p>\n
Yep. The whole UCI statement was something of a headscratcher.<\/p>\n
New and uncited science that refutes previous studies. A recommendation to stay away from a supplement that apparently serves no purpose. A suggestion that falls short of a ban.<\/p>\n
And now it seems nobody is happy \u2013 not even cycling\u2019s anti-doping watchdog, the MPCC.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the problem of grey areas. For some, everything that is not forbidden is allowed,\u201d the group told Velo.<\/p>\n
The statement issued by cycling\u2019s governing body last week reignites the sport\u2019s most anachronistic debate.<\/p>\n
Supplementing with ketones \u2013 drinks once labeled as \u201cU.S. forces super fuels\u201d \u2013 first stirred controversy when Tadej Poga\u010dar was still in kindergarten.<\/p>\n
The peloton has been divided over ketone supplementation ever since.<\/p>\n
The MPCC group warns its members away from synthetic chemicals it has demonized as doping-adjacent and potentially dangerous.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the rest of the peloton is pounding ketone shots on the daily.<\/p>\n
For scores of pro cyclists, ketones have become as common as pre-ride coffee and post-race cherry juice. Whether training at home or racing Paris-Roubaix and the Tour de France, ketones have become just another quarter percenter.<\/p>\n
A confusing statement on ketones
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/D5A_4766-1200x882.jpg\"\/)
Ketone esters have been problematic since they emerged out of UK university labs in the 2010s and became linked to British Cycling and Team Sky. (Photo: Gruber Images)<\/p>\n
As a brief reminder, ketones are chemicals naturally produced in the body when it\u2019s deprived of glucose.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s thought that supplementing with ketones can spare muscle glycogen, potentially making them \u201ca fourth macronutrient\u201d for endurance and recovery.<\/p>\n
Also read: How a US Forces \u2018Super Fuel\u2019 Became an Everyday Recovery Aid at the Tour de France<\/a><\/p>\n In a press statement<\/a> released last week, the UCI referred to a \u201cvery comprehensive, high-quality study\u201d that it claims rings a death knell for ketones.<\/p>\n The governing body first reminded that some studies show ketone supplementation doesn\u2019t benefit endurance. It then referenced some mysterious, unsourced, new science that refutes the common consensus that ketones turbocharge athletic recovery.<\/p>\n In light of these potentially pivotal findings, the UCI served world cycling a prime nothing burger.<\/p>\n \u201cAs 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\u2019 nutritional plans,\u201d read the press release.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the type of non-statement a politician would be proud of, and a conclusion that will only prolong an already overrun debate.<\/p>\n No fixed date, but conclusions will be published \u2018soon\u2019 The UCI\u2019s press statement didn\u2019t detail the hypothesis, author, or methodology of its ketone paper.<\/p>\n Velo asked the UCI for further explanation, and the information shared was scarce.<\/p>\n \u201cThis study is currently with a scientific journal and is expected to be published soon. While we do not yet have a confirmed publication date, we will share the article and author\u2019s contact details with you once it becomes available,\u201d a UCI spokesperson told Velo.<\/p>\n Reading between the lines, the new paper appears to be the findings from a research project<\/a> the UCI started four \u2013 yes, four \u2013 years ago.<\/p>\n The project\u2019s mission?<\/p>\n To draw a line under cycling\u2019s so-old-it\u2019s-boring question about ketones.<\/p>\n Even the anti-doping group isn\u2019t happy The ketone debate feels so old it\u2019s like arguing over rim vs. disc brakes.<\/p>\n But unlike that old chat, the consternation over these synthetic supplements is hanging around like a turd that won\u2019t flush.<\/p>\n The reason? A peloton split between ketone converts and abstainers affiliated with the MPCC.<\/p>\n Roger Legeay worked as president of the \u201cMouvement Pour un Cyclisme Cr\u00e9dible\u201d for 20 years until he retired last week.<\/p>\n He told Velo before he stepped down that the UCI\u2019s statement only invited the exploitation of the \u201cgrey areas\u201d his group is fighting against.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the problem of grey areas. For some, everything that is not forbidden is allowed,\u201d Legeay told Velo.<\/p>\n \u201cThen we learn a few years later that these are doping products and put on the list of banned products. This was the case with corticosteroids, tramadol, etc,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Ketones have the green light from WADA. With that, Legeay and the MPCC believe it should be the UCI\u2019s priority to police a supplement they think creates a two-speed peloton of consumers and abstainers.<\/p>\n \u201cWADA takes too long between use by athletes and their ban. This is also the case today with carbon monoxide or tapentadol,\u201d Legeay said of ketones.<\/p>\n Legeay\u2019s concerns about ketones can seem hyperbolic.<\/p>\n These supplements are slurped en masse by athletes of all varieties. They\u2019re bigged up by biohacker brainiacs on every passing \u201cwellness\u201d podcast. Heck, you can go get some now from your local Target or Whole Foods, or have them delivered to your doorstep by Amazon.<\/p>\n Ketones have become just another part of a supplement stack of creatine, caffeine, beta-alanine, and all in between.<\/p>\n \u2018Big Ketone\u2019 hits back Most teams are so comfortable with ketones that they partner with mass-market suppliers.<\/p>\n Visma-Lease a Bike, Alpecin-Deceuninck, and Soudal Quick-Step all count ketone sponsors on their team profiles. Visma\u2019s \u201cKiller Bees\u201d are even guinea pigs for studies<\/a> conducted by their partner, Ketone-IQ, and feature on its promo material.<\/p>\n In fact, a paper<\/a> titled \u201cStudy with Team Visma-Lease a Bike: Ketone-IQ boosts natural EPO, blood flow, and recovery in elite cyclists\u201d was finished up only this summer.<\/p>\n It\u2019s no surprise that Ketone-IQ co-founder Michael Brandt\u00a0was miffed at the UCI\u2019s new statement. However, the outlook he shared with Velo would make the MPCC cringe.<\/p>\n \u201cMy response is that we respectfully disagree,\u201d Brandt told Velo. \u201cOur stance continues to be that measures \u2014 nutrition or otherwise \u2014 that improve rider performance with little or no downside should be unequivocally allowed.<\/p>\n \u201cI put altitude training, innovation in carbohydrate formulation, and ketones all together among other measures in this category. Healthier, stronger riders are safer riders, which is a win for the entire sport.\u201d<\/p>\n Ketone-IQ competitor KetoneAid supplies Soudal Quick-Step.<\/p>\n The Belgian team\u2019s outgoing Olympic superstar Remco Evenepoel has been pictured guzzling ketones at races as high-profile as the Tour de France.<\/p>\n KetoneAid CEO Frank Llosa was as perplexed as everyone else who\u2019s trying to unpack the point of the UCI cautioning against, but not prohibiting, a \u201cpointless\u201d performance supplement.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we\u2019re issuing guidance on supplements without performance benefits \u2013 are we expecting position papers on cherry juice next? What about M&Ms now that they\u2019re sponsoring the Tour?\u201d Llosa told Velo.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s puzzling is why the UCI feels the need to issue recommendations about something they claim doesn\u2019t work,\u201d Llosa said. \u201cIf ketones are safe and ineffective, why not let riders make their own choices? When Remco wants to use them between Olympic events because he feels they help his recovery, why should the UCI care?\u201d<\/p>\n Velo contacted off the record a handful of teams and riders who currently use ketones.<\/p>\n They\u2019re choosing to ignore the UCI\u2019s new recommendation.<\/p>\n Another chapter in the ketone debate Llosa has a point. Why bother weighing in on a \u201cpointless\u201d placebo?<\/p>\n But MPCC chief Legeay\u2019s concerns are equally valid.<\/p>\n Neither clamping down nor giving the go-ahead to a divisive \u2013 if common \u2013 one-percenter like ketones almost encourages athletes to meddle in the margins elsewhere.<\/p>\n Riders will always push the line in a sport that\u2019s accelerating to extremes.<\/p>\n Cyclists are still getting banned by the UCI for old-school blood-doping<\/a> techniques, and WADA is being forced to react<\/a> to the peloton\u2019s use of carbon monoxide.<\/p>\n No winners from UCI\u2019s ketone study? If anything, the UCI\u2019s non-statement feels like a rushed-out box-ticking exercise.<\/p>\n More significantly, it solves nothing.<\/p>\n The MPCC \u201cclean cycling\u201d group isn\u2019t content with a \u201cconclusion\u201d that creates confusion.<\/p>\n The scores of non-MPCC riders who use ketones will again be subject to suspicion for dabbling in non-UCI-approved methods.<\/p>\n And of course \u201cBig Ketone\u201d is pissed, too.<\/p>\n The UCI told Velo its groundbreaking study will be published soon.<\/p>\n Will its release put an end to cycling\u2019s consternation over ketones?<\/p>\n Not likely.<\/p>\n If the science-backed WorldTour is getting kicks from ketones, they\u2019ll continue to take them until they\u2019re rightly or wrongly banned.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Updated October 28, 2025 01:35AM The UCI last week concluded that ketones are pointless but held back from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":245943,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[569],"tags":[64,63,784,68224,85,76478,146199,146200,76479,138327,67883],"class_list":{"0":"post-245942","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-cycling","11":"tag-parent_category-road","12":"tag-sports","13":"tag-tag-behind-the-ride","14":"tag-tag-ketones","15":"tag-tag-mpcc","16":"tag-tag-nutrition","17":"tag-tag-training","18":"tag-type-article"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=245942"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245942\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/245943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=245942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=245942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=245942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-2153234653.jpg\"\/)
The UCI promises the details of its new ketone study will be published soon. (Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Z8C_2250-2-1200x750.jpg\"\/)
The MPCC group considers ketones to be a doping-adjacent product that creates a peloton at two speeds. (Photo: Gruber Images)<\/p>\n
\n![\"Visma](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/DSC04153-1200x1172.jpeg\"\/)
Visma-Lease a Bike partners with Ketone-IQ and worked as guinea pigs in the brand\u2019s recent study. (Photo: Courtesy Ketone-IQ)<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Z8A_1153-e1761480022969-1200x980.jpg\"\/)
The UCI\u2019s recent statement reignited the discussion of ketones. (Photo: Gruber Images)<\/p>\n
\n![\"Evenepoel](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Evenepoel-ketones-1200x675.jpg\"\/)
Evenepoel\u2019s former Quick-Step team partnered KetoneAid. His incoming Red Bull team recently left MPCC and so is free to use the supplements, too. (Photo: Getty Images)<\/p>\n