The International Cycling Union (UCI) is to ban analgesic Tramadol and tighten rules on glucocorticoids - a class of corticosteroids, from next year. The UCI said in a statement released Thursday that it would impose the measures for in-competition use starting in 2019, following a report from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) that numerous riders are using the drug.
"The UCI has decided to ban the in-competition use of Tramadol for health reasons," the governing body added following a meeting of its steering committee at Arzon, France chaired by body president David Lappartient. The organisation said it had made the ruling owing to possible side-effects: "dizziness, loss of alertness, drowsiness, or physical dependency and risks of addiction to opioids."