Plainsman1963

Caivano: The dope on smoking while riding
06-14-06 | BoulderDirt.Com | Marty Caivano

I've had many odd things shared with me during snack breaks on rides. Salmon jerky, weird stories involving passed gas, poorly aimed snot rockets. But, naíve straight-edge that I am, I was genuinely surprised to be offered marijuana on a recent outing.

It never occurred to me that people would toke up during a sport that already makes you gasp for air and want to eat all the time.

"It puts you in the groove," says a local rider, who — not surprisingly — declined to give his name for this story. We'll call him "John." "You're already exercising, creating endorphins and adrenaline, so it adds to the physiological euphoria you've got going on."

For John, there's also the social aspect of passing the pipe.

"It's the ritual of the group ride, enjoying an overlook and a puff or two," he says.

The smokers in my group didn't seem to suffer in the slightest after their little break. Nobody crashed, dropped off the back, or said "Duuuude" any more than usual.

Nonetheless, I was curious to find out what pot does to the mind and body during exercise.

"It is in the hallucinogenic family of drugs, so there are definitely sensations of pleasure," says Stephen Bentley, coordinator of Substance Abuse Services at the University of Colorado's Wardenburg Health Center.

Well, now that sounds all right. But of course, there's a downside.

"Cannabis tends to increase heart rate," Bentley says, as well as cause "decreased blood flow to the brain, especially in chronic users."

Uh oh. I'm already experiencing high heart rate and reduced blood flow to the brain when I ride. I probably don't need marijuana's help.

"THC (the active ingredient in pot) is stored in brain tissue," Bentley adds. "It essentially coats the cell walls, slowing the neurotransmissions in the brain. And that's where your motor function comes from."

Then Bentley mentions the reduced lung capacity and increased risk of pulmonary problems (yup, he means heart attacks). Whoa, major buzzkill.

But John appears to be in great shape and rides for hours, with no wheezing or struggling.

"A lot of people smoke and still ride at a really high level," John says. "And I don't know if it actually allows you to pick a better line or be more present in the situation, but it sure feels like it."

That was pretty eye-opening. But I still was having a hard time thinking of athletic endeavor paired with the pipe.

Then I remembered that cyclists are far from being the only athletes enamored of "the kind weed." Let's not forget football's Ricky Williams, whose chronic love affair with the stuff led to four failed drug tests; he now plays with the Toronto Argonauts, since there's no drug testing in Canada.

Then there's Ross Rebagliati, the Canadian snowboarder who lost (then regained) his Olympic gold medal after a positive test. And we can't leave out former CU football star Rashaan Salaam, the 1994 Heisman Trophy winner whose NFL career flamed out after too many hits off the old bong.

Also, I feel obliged to remind you that possession is against the law. For those carrying up to one ounce, it's a non-arrestable petty crime with a fine of $100. (Hey, at least you can finish the ride, right?)

While you won't find me lighting up anytime soon, I won't get on a soapbox about it, either. Many Americans — including some children — abuse that ubiquitous drug we call caffeine (Diet Coke, anyone?). And don't get me started on alcohol addiction.

As for the sport of cycling, the investigations of the professional peloton for use of human growth hormone and the blood-booster EPO make pot seem downright old-fashioned.

And obviously, none of the smokers I met are trying to make a career out of cycling.

"If they're riding at a recreational level, it's probably not having too much of a negative effect" on their performance, Bentley says.

John's take on it is pretty simple: "The bottom line with any substance is having the right relationship with it," he says. "People have been altering their states of consciousness since the beginning of time."

Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

reggie_the_dog

I mountain bike ride quite often. Ususally I smoke once I have done most of the climbing or after half of a flat ride, then I sail home.

nerphroll

Dope or no dope, wear a helmet! Once that part's done, enjoy the ride...

Buzzby

This "expert" needs to check his facts. THC is not "stored" in the brain. It attaches to receptors in the brain and then degrades into non-psychoactive THC metabolites which are stored in body fat and then excreted. The business about "coating cell walls" is nonsense and marijuana only mildly affects motor skills at higher doses.

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