Kent sport scientists in the School of Natural Sciences are leading a two-year feasibility and pilot study on behalf of the International Testing Agency (ITA) exploring whether longitudinal analysis of professional cyclists’ power data could contribute as a supplementary intelligence tool for anti-doping purposes in cycling.
Around 60 riders from four UCI WorldTeams (UWT) and one UCI ProTeam (PRT), are currently participating in the project, which focuses on scientific validation, performance modelling and the assessment of whether power monitoring can be implemented in a reliable and operationally meaningful way within professional road cycling.
Professional road cycling is a sport shaped by performance data. Riders, coaches and performance staff rely on power output analysis daily to monitor progression, understand race demands and optimise preparation. Over the past two decades, power data has become one of the defining metrics of the sport, widely discussed within the peloton and increasingly analysed publicly by teams, experts, media and fans alike.
At the same time, anti-doping programs in cycling have continued to evolve towards increasingly data and intelligence-driven approaches. Biological monitoring through the Athlete Biological Passport, targeted testing strategies, long-term sample storage and advanced analytical techniques have progressively strengthened the ability to protect clean sport through longitudinal and contextual analysis rather than isolated testing alone.
It is within this broader evolution that the ITA has launched a two-year feasibility and pilot study exploring whether power data could contribute as a supplementary source of intelligence for anti-doping purposes in professional road cycling. The project, approved in March 2025 by the Funding Committee of the UCI anti-doping program, aims to assess whether longitudinal performance modelling based on riders’ power data can meaningfully support anti-doping strategies in a scientifically robust and operationally responsible manner.
Importantly, the initiative is a research and feasibility study. Its purpose is not to establish anti-doping rule violations through performance data, but to evaluate whether certain patterns or evolutions in performance may, in the future, help inform areas such as targeted testing strategies, sample retention decisions, additional laboratory analysis or investigations.
The two-year project, led by Professor of Sport Science, James Hopker, in collaboration with researchers at University College London (UCL), focuses on the development of longitudinal performance profiles using riders’ race and, subject to scientific validation, training data.
As Professor Hopker explains: ‘A central objective of our research is to better understand typical variability in performance over time and across different rider profiles and age groups. We’re studying how performance evolves throughout a rider’s career, how race performances relate to training data and how repeated efforts can be analysed in a meaningful and reproducible way despite the many variables inherent to elite cycling.
‘Through this research, we aim to help the ITA and other organisations identify athletes whose performance patterns may indicate an elevated risk of doping. This analysis can support investigators in developing targeted testing strategies, retaining samples for future analysis, and requesting additional laboratory testing where appropriate.’
‘We are constantly looking at how to make the cycling anti-doping program smarter and more effective’, said ITA Director General Benjamin Cohen. ‘Power data has been part of the conversation in cycling for many years. It is one of the sport’s most widely used performance tools, yet until now its potential contribution to anti-doping has remained largely unexplored. Thanks to the commitment of riders, teams and recognised experts, we now have the opportunity to assess its potential through a structured scientific process and determine whether it can meaningfully complement the anti-doping toolbox in the future.’
The feasibility study aims to assess whether power monitoring can be implemented in a scientifically robust and operationally meaningful manner within the anti-doping framework of men’s professional road cycling. If validated by the ITA and approved by both the UCI Funding Committee and the UCI Management Committee, the UCI regulations will be amended to require the mandatory sharing to the ITA of individual power data for all professional men’s road riders. Building on the modelling principles developed through the project, the potential application of this approach could subsequently be considered for UCI Women’s WorldTour and UCI Continental level, as well as extended to other related sports, such as triathlon.