Riemann Integrable wrote:
Agreed.
No one wins the Tour De France 7 TIMES IN A ROW without having insane talent and mental fortitude. Anyone who has read the Renato Canova threads on LetsRun knows that EPO is trivial when you have natural fitness.
EPO isn't trivial when you have natural talent. Natural talent/training/racing hard are, admittedly, more significant factors. But the EPO still makes a considerable difference. Aside from the moral dilemma and safety concerns, the problem is some people are physiologically predisposed to benefit more from the drugs than others. And with the absurd training volume in cycling, it arguably makes a bigger difference than in running. To say that it's trivial is just foolish.