Executive summary: Virgin was right and he even stated it diplomatically. Source for my opinion- As a former memeber of national teams, I have personal experience with PED - of many memebers of our national teams and myself included.
I am not an American, so beofe judging my grammar, ethics or my life choices, please consider my different language origin and vastly different culture. I have been raised during cold war years behind iron curtain and ethical was considered anything that gave you advantage over system that was screwing you on a daily basis. If you wanted to see the West, you had to be polititian or a great athlete. To become great, you had to participate in the state sponsored, closely monitored and ENFORCED system of doping. Right up to 1989 you had ZERO chance of ever getting visa permission and special passport for travelling if you had not signed a document that basically gave free pass to doctors in the "Directoriate of Peak conditioning for sports" to prescribe you anything. You had to take it, no questions asked. Most of us knew what we were taking and we could definitely see the effects of drugs. We were laboratory mice and some of us even voluntarily bought some additional steroids from our Russian "friends". Those who did, were usually cought at minor or major competitions. Those who didn't, were almost never cought. I was just starting, when the events of 1989 freed us, but in not all areas.
Those same guys that were running the currupt system and forcing us to use PED remained, only the most prominent persons were made to retire (at great pension and benefits). So the system changed, but the practices remained. We had quickly learned how it went abroad in the West, and it was the same. The participation was voluntary, but taking of PED was just as widespread, as behind the curtain.
At that time I had believed that all top 20 in every discipline of athletics (T&F) were taking. Was it true? I don't know, but from those guys I knew personally that made it to top 20, as I had lived with them for many years and went from one training camp to another, none was clean for their entire career. None. That includes women and other sports as well, since our training camps were concentrated for obvious reasons. It wasn't even a secret among us, no hush-hush talk, closed door doctor visits... No, it was openly debated, planned and executed.
How did I learn about proper administration of EPO and its further derivates - ironically from an American, second tier runner, who would barely qulified for OT. At first I was scared to shit, because doctor knew about this new stuff squat, but we figured it out and I and many of his "patients" passed hundrets of tests, even after it was announced that they know the test for EPO. Ridiculous. They would have to catch you with your needle sticking out from your vein (or from your stomach, if you are so scared to poke your veins as many and subcutaneous administration is just as effective), otherwise just few hours after administration, it is almost undetectable, and virtually so few days later. The effects of EPO (or its derivates) cycle lasts for 4-6 months and the peak is between 1-4 months after stopping, if you take iron supplements and folic acid.
If you don't believe how widespread is EPO (and AS as well) among enurance athletes, just visit some of the BB forums were lots of runners, cyclists and kiers are throwing (good BTW) advices about proper use.