AI could trigger new era of undetectable doping in pro cycling, warns Mikel Zabala

Professional cycling may be facing a new existential threat as artificial intelligence emerges as a potential tool for sophisticated, undetectable doping. Former Movistar performance director Mikel Zabala warned that the technology could undermine years of progress in sport integrity.

Speaking at the Science & Cycling conference, Zabala questioned whether artificial intelligence is becoming the "new doping." He expressed concern that AI could be leveraged to design performance-enhancing substances that bypass current biological passport markers or to create highly optimized dosing schedules that avoid detection by anti-doping authorities. This capability could effectively neutralize the current framework used to police the peloton.

The evolution of the peloton

To explain the stakes, Zabala conceptualizes the sport's history through three distinct paradigms. "Cycling 1.0" was defined by empirical and often corrupt practices. This gave way to "Cycling 2.0," a shift toward evidence-based, multidisciplinary, and ethically guided performance management. This second era focused on transparency and education to move the sport away from its systemic doping past.

Now, the sport is entering "Cycling 3.0," an epoch characterized by AI-enhanced, data-intensive training and governance. While this transition offers legitimate gains in athlete health and performance, it simultaneously opens a dangerous frontier for those seeking an unfair advantage.

An AI arms race

The implications for the industry are severe. If AI can be used to engineer substances that remain invisible to current tests, the hard-won ethical stability of the Cycling 2.0 era could be reversed. This creates a high-stakes arms race between those using AI to cheat and the scientists using AI to detect those cheats.

For the market and the fans, the risk is a return to a period of systemic suspicion. If the current anti-doping framework becomes obsolete, the credibility of professional cycling's current "clean" image could collapse, threatening the sport's commercial viability and public trust.

The path forward

As the sport moves deeper into the Cycling 3.0 era, the focus now shifts to whether governance can keep pace with technology. The primary challenge remains whether anti-doping agencies can implement AI-driven detection tools fast enough to counter the sophisticated optimization AI provides to dopers. For now, the industry is watching to see if the transition to data-driven governance will protect the sport or provide the perfect cover for its oldest vice.