Shane Warne got off lightly says Anti-Doping Agency Chief

[Craig]

It can boost haemoglobin level or in other words increase your bloods oxygen carrying capacity, thus enabling you to achieve greater tissue metabolism with the same cardiac output .(With the same heart rate and blood perfusion your body can burn more glucose and release more energy, without having to increase your heart rate or increasing blood perfusion.)

With the side effects being strokes etc.

 

[JASON]

With the side effects being strokes etc.

As a Medic, I can tell you the risk of this side effect is only theoretical and hardly encountered in clinical usage.
What it can do is increase Blood Pressure, and cause thrombosis of vascular access sites. Again these are only seen if someone uses this excessively (ie. beyond recommended guidelines).
Afterall most Severe Kidney Failure patients are on this and although they have a higher risk of stroke from the underlying renal failure, I don't think use of EPO renders any greater risk of stroke.

 

[Craig]

So I'm climbing up the famous Alpe d'Huez in France, and have been on EPO, and it's a hot day, what are likely to happen to me? (ie my health)

 

[luckyeddie]

So I'm climbing up the famous Alpe d'Huez in France, and have been on EPO, and it's a hot day, what are likely to happen to me? (ie my health)

*cough*tommysimpson*cough*

 

[Craig]

He collapsed, and found alchol and stimulents in his blood.

Although that was Mont Ventoux IIRC.