Go Team Viagra. And Afterwards, the Sex.

From Chicago Trib:Researchers reported Thursday that cyclists may be able to increase their performance by taking Viagra--their athletic performance, that is.

Some cyclists have more trouble than others in sustaining high levels of exertion at mountainous elevations. The new study found that Viagra, a drug most commonly used to treat male impotence, helped overcome that problem.

For these cyclists, taking Viagra improved their performance up to 45 percent, which would allow a cyclist racing in the high Rocky Mountains to cover a stretch of road in 39 minutes that would otherwise take an hour.

The findings, published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, come at a time when competitive cycling has been struggling to prevent athletes from using banned drugs and other methods of bolstering performance. Viagra is not currently among the blacklisted drugs.

-Sean Philpott