The EPO Era Begins

The late 1980s saw introduction of recombinant erythropoietin (EPO), a drug that would transform cycling's competitive landscape. Originally developed for kidney patients, EPO increased red blood cell production, improving oxygen delivery to muscles. Its effects on endurance performance were dramatic, enabling sustained efforts previously impossible.

The Transformation of Racing

EPO's arrival changed racing fundamentally. Performances that would have cracked riders previously became sustainable. Mountain stages saw unprecedented speeds. Recovery between stages improved dramatically. The drug's undetectability initially made it perfect performance enhancer, transforming also-rans into champions and champions into supermen.

This era's moral complexities resist simple judgment. Riders faced impossible choices—compete clean against enhanced rivals or join the pharmaceutical arms race. Team doctors, tasked with rider health, became doping enablers. The sport's governing bodies, aware of the problem but lacking detection methods, struggled with responses that satisfied no one.