“I went from being a top rider to a nobody” - Frans Maassen reflects on EPO era

Frans Maassen, now a respected sports director at Team Visma | Lease a Bike, has opened up about the personal toll of professional cycling’s EPO era in the 1990s, a period that drove him out of the sport at just 30 years old.

Maassen, who won the Amstel Gold Race in 1991 and was tipped for a glittering career, found himself increasingly outmatched as performance-enhancing drugs transformed the peloton. While others surged ahead, Maassen stood still, by choice.

“I could never understand how it could make such a difference—how EPO could make you so much stronger,” he said on the In de Waaier podcast. “We don't have to be so spasmodic about it now as we did back then. But it was just used a lot in the peloton.”

His recollections are not of a sudden collapse, but of a slow erosion. One day in particular stood out. “I remember thinking I was better than ever—and I probably was. But at the Drielandenpunt I was simply outpaced by more than 100 riders. And we were only halfway there.”

Maassen’s hematocrit levels hovered at 44 or 45, just under the 50% threshold later used as an EPO detection marker. But as rivals pushed far beyond it, the sport splintered. “You suddenly had two speeds in cycling,” he said. “That was very difficult for me, because I didn't win any prizes anymore. And that was always my drive—to be able to suffer.”

The loss of competitiveness wasn’t just a professional crisis. It cut to the heart of his identity. “At one point a spring broke. I earned quite a lot of money at that time, but I was never able to enjoy it,” he admitted. “If you are paid as a leader and you can't live up to that, then you really feel like crap. Those were definitely difficult years. But that wasn't just true for me. It was a very difficult time for a lot of riders.”

Just about the entire peloton during the 90s were using performance enhancing drugs, but Maassen managed not to, and that should be applauded, especially considering the sport is still recovering from the dark cloud caused by that era.

Asked whether he had ever considered doping, Maassen did not flinch. “I have thought about it, yes. I dare say that I came close to doing so. But something held me back, and I am very happy about that now.”