Daymian Myles
Name: Date: 3/9/23 Period: 6
For this assignment, use the article from Amplify: Metabolism section 4.1. The article
is titled, “Blood Doping and High Altitude Training.” Answer thoroughly and use complete
sentences in order to receive full credit. Answers can be found in the text. When appropriate,
use evidence from the text to support your answer. Sometimes you will have to use context
clues in order to answer the questions.
1.) Cyclists' bodies work very efficiently. They use glucose, oxygen, and amino acids very
efficiently. What does that mean? What body systems must work for them to use these
molecules efficiently? Think of the Metabolism simulator. Describe at least 3 systems
and how they must work in order for cyclists to perform at their best.
They use their respiratory system for breathing, their circulatory system for pumping oxygen and glucose
to the cells, and they use their their digestive system to break down the starch into glucose.
2.) Cyclists cells contain a much higher number of _________________
Glucose than most people.
glucose
3.) This increased number allows them to use ______________ and _____________
oxygen to
release energy.
4.) In order to bring in enough glucose, cyclists eat a lot of starch. How does that help them
get enough glucose?
Starch is broken down into glucose, so the more starch they eat, the more glucose they will have to
combine with oxygen and release more energy.
5.) How fast do cyclists' hearts beat?
200 BPM
6.) Why do their hearts need to beat that fast? Be specific.
They need it to pump fast so that they can move blood throughout the body faster, moving more
glucose and oxygen to the cells.
7.) When being in excellent shape and working hard is not enough to win, what do some
cyclists do in order to get ahead?
Some people do blood doping, which gives them more blood cells, having them be able to distribute
more glucose and oxygen
8.) What is blood doping? What are the steps?
Blood doping is where people draw blood and store it in a cold place to preserve it, then inject
themselves so they have more bloodcells.
9.) How does this help the cyclist perform better?
There is more blood pumping oxygen and glucose to the cells.
10.) Why do cyclists want more red blood cells? Why not just breathe faster?
They want more blood cells so that they can have their oxygen and glucose pumped through the
body faster. Breathing faster just puts more oxygen in the body, but it comes out as fast when there
is no blood to carry it.
11.) Why is it difficult to tell if an athlete has been blood doping?
The body contains red blood cells all the time, so it is hard to detect if you have more than normal.
12.) How can racing officials actually determine if a cyclist is blood doping? Describe one
of the two ways.
They test the amount of hemoglobin in the blood.
13.) thicken
Blood doping can ________________ the blood. This is a dangerous side effect of
blood doping.
14.) high
An alternative to blood doping, that is legal, is ________-___________
mountain training.
15.) At higher altitudes, there is _______________
less oxygen than there is at sea level.
