In depicting the extensive doping scheme of Lance Armstrong and his team, the film features frequent references to blood doping and the use of banned performance-enhancing drugs such as EPO, testosterone, and growth hormones.
These references are accompanied by the sight of injections and disposal of the syringes to avoid detection. The athletes are also seen using blood transfusions to ensure a high level of haemoglobin in their blood for increased performance. These scenes of drug use are, however, rather brief, and depicted in the context of performance enhancement.