The use of lugworm haemoglobin could become the latest blood doping technique to be used in professional cycling, with its creator Dr. Franck Zal revealing to l’Equipe that in 2020, a “well-known cyclist whose team participates in the Tour de France, contacted me because he wanted the product".
Anti-doping blood tests can detect the ‘super haemoglobin’ but it is easy to use and its short half life means it becomes undetectable after just a few hours. Its use is unlikely to be spotted in an athlete's Biological Passport.
