What: "In my day as a rider we had dope, sure; but it was nothing like today. Nothing like EPO. For the riders EPO is like kerosene," said then Tour de France director Jean-Marie Le Blanc in 1999.---> This page is a review of the use of drugs in cycling. I want to push the analogy. EPO is more like the octane booster you put in your car to improve its performance. EPO increases an athletes oxygen carrying capacity and thus improves performance dramatically in situations in which an athlete needs a high oxygen capacity,such as riding a bicycle up a mountain. The drug was developed for people who had chronic anemia due to illness. It was co-opted by athletes to improve their endurance.

Writer: Jean-Marie Le Blanc

LCC: RM

Where: Reference Link Has Evaporated

Date: Oct 25 2010 2:38 AM