Doping drug gives no edge to serious cyclists in study

FILE - This Sunday, July 19, 2015 photo made with a slow shutter speed shows riders during the fifteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race in Valence, France. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

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. The EPO-injected cyclists' average time was 17 seconds slower.

An official with the World Anti-Doping Agency said he doubted the results would change the group's EPO ban.