Originally Posted by
Hermes
You may find this fully published article from NIH interesting
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3690100/ as a counter argument to the validity of EPO increasing cycling performance.
As the case of the United States Anti Doping Agency versus Armstrong proves again, rHuEPO has been used by many professional (including champion) cyclists. Given that it increases Hct, it is thought to enhance performance in professional cycling and has been put on the list of prohibited substances of the International Olympic Committee. As rHuEPO is on this list, cyclists caught were breaking the rules and should be punished for doing so. However, this review shows that only very weak scientific evidence exists about the effects of rHuEPO on cycling performance in professional or even well-trained cyclists. Sport physicians and cyclists should be informed about the dangers of the use of such a substance, as already proposed by Kuipers about doping in general 144. Neither a scientific basis for performance-enhancing properties nor possible harmful side-effects have been provided for athletes or trainees.
This important set of facts is often ignored, but remember that EPO does reliably increase hematocrit and may have potent placebo effects. EPO is also a known mood elevator.