Researchers have found that a common doping agent in competitive cycling does not improve times in a simulated Tour de France-style mountain climb.
A study published Thursday in the journal Lancet Haematology punches holes in the mystique surrounding EPO, which boosts the body’s ability to carry oxygen to the muscles.
Dutch scientists staged a bike race to study how EPO injections affected performance. Two groups of avid amateur cyclists got shots for eight weeks then raced up a mountain in southern France. Half had received real EPO and half got fake injections. Average times were almost identical between the two groups.