EPO was first approved in 1989 by the FDA. One could suppose that the usage in the pro peloton probably increased exponentially as the years went by, but that is only a guess.
The 2001 Tour de France was the first year that EPO tests were used.
And the French loved him even more after the scandal of 1998. FOLKS, the latest controversy has nothing to do with PED’s or fair sportsmanship; this is nothing more than a name smearing campaign lead by the French media. Everyone knows that no action against Armstrong could ever take place (without the “b” samples); everyone knows that protocol was not followed; everyone must wonder why only Armstrong’s samples are being re-tested. I was on the Champs on July 24, and spent a few weeks afterward in France. Of course it would be unfair to say every French man and woman hates America; however, the overall climate my wife and I felt was anti-American, they generally don’t like us and they hate losing their historic race to an American 7 years in a row. The French embrace former dopers without hesitation, this is just so ridiculous it’s unbelievable.
The French reign at the Tour de France ended when an American beat his own teammate (Lemond vs Hinault 1986). It has been two decades and in that time, Americans have one 10 tours, Spaniard 6, Italians 1, Danes 1, Irish 1, Germans 1.
I don’t really think it is so much that the French are so bent out of shape that an American has been winning the Tour, it is just that it is Lance and the manner that he has done it. Virenque was their underdog guy, attacking all over the map to get on the podium (with or without EPO). Lance’s approach was more “calcualted” and methodical. Everyone knows exactly his tactic from day 1. The French just don’t like the favourite. As Lance said on Larry King, their number 1 hated sportsman is Michael Schumacher cause he wins all the time with the same style and “machinery as Lance”.
If some American underdog were to win the TdF by attacking all over the three weeks like Vino does, they would love him.
I was on Alpe d’Huez in 2004 for the legendary time trial where Lance essentially sealed off TdF number 6. There were HUGE numbers of Lance fans from France, clearly outnumbering the American contingent…but the best fans are the beer bellied TMobile and Gerolsteiner fans, cooking up Bratwurst from their campers on the side of the mountain and pounding back stein after stein…