Sport research · Cycling

Peptides for cycling: aerobic engines and an anti-doping sport

Road, mountain-bike and track cycling are limited by aerobic power and recovery between hard days. This page maps those demands onto the evidence radar — and treats anti-doping with the seriousness cycling’s history demands.

Low-contact sportWADA 2026 status checkedVerified PubMed citations

Tested athletes: read this first

Under the WADA 2026 Prohibited List (in force from 1 January 2026), BPC-157 is named under S0, TB-500 under S2.3, Ipamorelin and Tesamorelin under S2.2.4 and MOTS-c under S4.4.1 — all prohibited in and out of competition. Research peptides with no regulatory approval anywhere are caught by S0’s catch-all wording. Tested athletes: these are banned. South African athletes can check with SAIDS and the official 2026 List.

The demands

What cycling asks of the body

Cycling is the purest aerobic sport most people will ever do: hours at a sustained power output, limited by oxygen delivery, mitochondrial capacity and fuelling. Multi-day races add a second limiter — the ability to recover overnight and go again, which is where sleep and gut tolerance of race nutrition become performance variables.

Injuries are a different shape from running. Overuse problems (knee pain from bike fit, lower-back and neck strain from long hours in position) are common; crashes cause clavicle fractures, road rash and, in mountain biking, head injuries despite helmets.

South Africa hosts the Cape Town Cycle Tour, the Absa Cape Epic and a big gravel and MTB scene. Cycling’s history — EPO, the biological passport, the lessons of the 1990s and 2000s — makes it the sport where athletes most need a clear line on what is banned. Every compound below is listed with its 2026 WADA status.

Mapped to the evidence radar

Each demand below is mapped to one of the ten fixed research areas on our evidence radar. The heavier the weight, the more that area counts when compounds are ranked for Cycling: Longevity & Energy ×3, Recovery & Repair ×2, Sleep & Recovery Rhythm ×2, Muscle & Body Composition ×1, Gut & Immune ×1.

Aerobic and mitochondrial power · Longevity & Energy
MOTS-c (S4.4.1-prohibited), NAD+ and related mitochondrial research sit here. Evidence is mostly mouse work plus human biomarker studies.
Overuse and crash injuries · Recovery & Repair
Knee, back and neck overuse plus fractures and skin abrasions from crashes. Repair research here is preclinical.
Stage-race recovery · Sleep & Recovery Rhythm
Recovering overnight between stages. Sleep evidence in the catalogue is Russian clinical pineal-peptide work.
Fuelling tolerance · Gut & Immune
High-carbohydrate race fuelling stresses the gut. Gut research here is mostly animal models.

By the evidence

Highest-scoring compounds for Cycling

Ranked by weighted evidence score across Cycling’s research areas. A reading aid for the literature — not a recommendation, and not a performance claim.

Top three for Cycling, overlaid · strength of published evidence per area

Show the scores as a table

Evidence score per research area, 0 to 10
Area	KLOW	Epitalon	Ipamorelin
Fat Loss & Metabolism	2	2	5
Appetite Control	1	1	3
Muscle & Body Composition	6	3	8
Recovery & Repair	10	5	7
Skin, Hair & Glow	10	6	5
Gut & Immune	10	5	5
Cognition & Focus	6	6	4
Mood & Calm	5	5	4
Sleep & Recovery Rhythm	3	9	7
Longevity & Energy	9	10	6

KLOW

In stock

7.7Cycling match

Longevity & EnergyPrimary9/10

Broad genomic studies reveal GHK resets over 4,000 human genes toward youthful expression patterns.

Recovery & Repair10/10

Extensive animal and tissue studies demonstrate rapid healing of tendon, ligament, muscle, and bone.

Sleep & Recovery Rhythm3/10

Indirect — studied via anti-inflammatory and nervous-system gene-expression pathways; limited direct sleep data.

S0 + S2.3KLOW contains BPC-157 (named in S0) and TB-500 (named in S2.3). Tested athletes: this is banned.

Research overview View compound

Epitalon

Restocking

7.3Cycling match

Longevity & EnergyPrimary10/10

Extensive Russian clinical cohorts show reduced all-cause mortality; induces telomerase activity in vitro.

Recovery & Repair5/10

Supports immune surveillance and restorative cellular maintenance cycles.

Sleep & Recovery Rhythm9/10

Restores youthful nocturnal melatonin rhythm in clinical gerontology trials.

S0Not named. Epitalon has no current approval as a medicine anywhere we can find, which is the S0 test. Tested athletes should treat it as banned.

Research overview Notify me on restock Glossary

Ipamorelin

Restocking

6.6Cycling match

Longevity & EnergyPrimary6/10

Restores youthful pulsatile endocrine balance, offsetting somatopause-associated decline.

Recovery & Repair7/10

Enhanced IGF-1 upregulates collagen synthesis and accelerates connective tissue reconstruction.

Sleep & Recovery Rhythm7/10

Growth hormone pulses reinforce deep slow-wave restorative sleep cycles and REM stability.

S2.2.4Ipamorelin is named among the growth hormone secretagogues (S2.2.4), non-Specified, prohibited at all times. Tested athletes: this is banned.

Research overview Notify me on restock Glossary

Tesamorelin

Restocking

6.4Cycling match

Longevity & EnergyPrimary7/10

Reduces hepatic fat accumulation, improves lipid profiles, and optimizes somatotropic vitality.

Recovery & Repair6/10

Raises IGF-1, the axis studied for collagen synthesis and connective-tissue repair.

Sleep & Recovery Rhythm7/10

GHRH signaling deepens Stage 4 slow-wave restorative sleep architecture.

S2.2.4Tesamorelin is named as a GHRH analogue (S2.2.4), non-Specified, prohibited at all times — even though it is an approved medicine elsewhere. Tested athletes: this is banned.

Research overview Notify me on restock Glossary

MOTS-c

Restocking

6.4Cycling match

Longevity & EnergyPrimary9/10

Mitochondrial-derived peptide acting as a master cellular regulator; preserves healthspan in ageing models.

Recovery & Repair6/10

Stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis, accelerating cellular metabolic recovery post-exertion.

Sleep & Recovery Rhythm4/10

Indirect — mitochondrial and metabolic rhythm pathways; limited direct sleep data.

S4.4.1MOTS-c is named among the AMPK-activating metabolic modulators (S4.4.1), non-Specified, prohibited at all times. Tested athletes: this is banned.

Research overview Notify me on restock Glossary

NAD+

Restocking

6.4Cycling match

Longevity & EnergyPrimary9/10

Essential coenzyme for sirtuin longevity enzymes (SIRT1-7) and PARP DNA repair machinery.

Recovery & Repair6/10

Accelerates cellular repair following metabolic or oxidative stressors.

Sleep & Recovery Rhythm5/10

NAD+ couples to the circadian clock via SIRT1/CLOCK in mouse work (Science 2009).

M2.2NAD+ itself is not named. Delivering anything by IV infusion or injection above 100 mL per 12 hours outside hospital care is a prohibited method (M2.2).

Research overview Notify me on restock Glossary

Scores (0–10) rate the strength of the published research link in each area — large human trials score highest, then smaller human studies (Russian clinical research counted at full weight), then animal and lab work. They describe the literature, not an outcome for any person or athlete. All compounds are supplied strictly for laboratory research purposes and are not for human consumption.

The literature

What published research says about cycling

MOTS-c, a mitochondrial-derived peptide, acts primarily in skeletal muscle and regulated metabolic homeostasis in mice.[1]
Randomised crossover trial: nicotinamide riboside was well tolerated and raised NAD+ in healthy middle-aged and older adults.[2]

Anti-doping

WADA 2026 status of every compound on this page

Quoted from the WADA Prohibited List 2026 (in force 1 January 2026). Where a compound is not named, we say so and explain how the List’s wording applies.

WADA 2026 Prohibited List status per compound
Compound	Status	What the 2026 List says
KLOW	Prohibited — named · S0 + S2.3	KLOW contains BPC-157 (named in S0) and TB-500 (named in S2.3). Tested athletes: this is banned.
Epitalon	Treat as prohibited · S0	Not named. Epitalon has no current approval as a medicine anywhere we can find, which is the S0 test. Tested athletes should treat it as banned.
Ipamorelin	Prohibited — named · S2.2.4	Ipamorelin is named among the growth hormone secretagogues (S2.2.4), non-Specified, prohibited at all times. Tested athletes: this is banned.
Tesamorelin	Prohibited — named · S2.2.4	Tesamorelin is named as a GHRH analogue (S2.2.4), non-Specified, prohibited at all times — even though it is an approved medicine elsewhere. Tested athletes: this is banned.
MOTS-c	Prohibited — named · S4.4.1	MOTS-c is named among the AMPK-activating metabolic modulators (S4.4.1), non-Specified, prohibited at all times. Tested athletes: this is banned.
NAD+	Method limit (IV) · M2.2	NAD+ itself is not named. Delivering anything by IV infusion or injection above 100 mL per 12 hours outside hospital care is a prohibited method (M2.2).

FAQ

Cycling: common questions

Is MOTS-c banned in cycling?

Yes. MOTS-c is named under S4.4.1 (AMPK activators) of the 2026 WADA Prohibited List, non-Specified and prohibited at all times, alongside AICAR.

Are IV recovery drips allowed for cyclists?

IV infusions or injections totalling more than 100 mL per 12 hours are a prohibited method (M2.2) unless received in hospital treatment, surgery or clinical investigation — regardless of what is in the bag.

Is there a cycling recovery hub as well?

Yes — the cycling and endurance-athletes hubs cover recovery-focused research in more depth.

Keep reading