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Has mechanical doping made its way to the Cyclocross World Championships? – Updated

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Photo c. Vivax Assist

Up until this point, the idea of mechanical doping has been dismissed by most as hilariously preposterous. Not the idea that the concept exists, but the fact that any pro would ever dare to attempt it. Products like the Gruber, now Vivax Assist that hide an electric motor inside the seat tube which powers a gear on the crank spindle have added fuel to the fire, that while preposterous, it could be possible.

That possibility is what has led the UCI to develop new screening protocols to potentially catch any mechanical doping in action. Like previous allegations, the rumor is now that the UCI is investigating the team of a female racer in the U23 World Championship race for “technological fraud.” Outlets like Sporza are reporting at lot more detail than has been officially released by the UCI, which is where the mention of an electric motor and wires comes into play.

Currently, the UCI hasn’t announced that they have actually found a motor in any bike, or even who that bike would belong to, but promise more details to come…

From the UCI:

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) confirms that pursuant to the UCI’s Regulations on technological fraud a bike has been detained for further investigation following checks at the Women’s Under 23 race of the 2016 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships. This does not concern any of the riders on the podium. Further details will be shared in due course.

Update:

Later updates have confirmed that women’s U-23 rider Femke van den Driessche from the Belgian team had a spare bike with a motor found in the pits at the race and is being investigated for ‘technological fraud’. 

UCI President Brian Cookson told journalists at the race that “it was a concealed motor, no secrets about that”, and spoke about the UCI’s determined testing of what many thought was a wild goose chase: “We will be testing more bikes, more often, more frequently. Our message to those choosing to cheat is that we will catch up with you sooner or later. We are committed to protecting the riders that do not want to cheat and to make sure that the right riders win the races.”

uci.ch

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hiddenmotor
hiddenmotor
8 years ago

First

jeb
jeb
8 years ago

As “conspiracy theory” as this sounds Cancellara used this to win 2010 Roubaix and Flanders. 20 years from now somebody will talk and it’ll be like the Armstrong doping scandal all over again.

Veganpotter
Veganpotter
8 years ago
Reply to  jeb

I’d say maybe if Cancellara weren’t one of the most dominant cyclists of our time and didn’t win anything but that one Paris Roubaix. Maybe Rider H. is much more worthy of questioning

John
John
8 years ago
Reply to  jeb

@jeb: Art Bell? Is that you?

chadquest
8 years ago
Reply to  jeb

Watch the video, Tom just dropped anchor in the road and Fabian went a tiny bit faster.

Sorry, just bonking and tactics.

nightfend
8 years ago
Reply to  jeb

Regarding Ryder’s “conspiracy”…there is currently no technological way to fit a motor and battery into a bike’s rear hub and have it look anything like a normal bike hub. So no, his rear spinning wheel could not have been from a motor.

Cancellara probably wasn’t using a motor either, but in theory even back in 2011, the gruber assist-type motors that power the cranks were just being developed, so I suppose it is possible.

John
John
8 years ago
Reply to  jeb

@jeb: Fabian won on Friday at Mallorca, in typical Sparticus fashion. Maybe the guy is just that good: velonews.competitor.com/2016/01/news/road/cancellara-is-back-swiss-star-wins-in-mallorca_394264

anonymous
anonymous
8 years ago

Betteridge’s law of headlines

Andrew Deane
8 years ago

Couldn’t this sort of ting be identified simply by shining a flashlight down everyone’s sea tube before the race?

J N H
J N H
8 years ago
Reply to  Andrew Deane

Maybe, maybe not. Troule with looking down tubes is it can be hard to judge distance. Since most road/cx bikes have straight seat tubes, it would be just as easy to push a stick into the seat tube and see how far down it goes. If it goes all the way to the BB join, nothing there, if it doesn’t, there’s an obstruction and the bike has to be dismantled for inspection.

John
John
8 years ago
Reply to  J N H

FWIW, most Di2 batteries are installed in the seatpost.

PROEDGEBIKER.COM
8 years ago

Just like the famous words of ChuckD once said…
“HERE WE GO AGAIN, BRING THE NOISE”

ascarlarkinyar
8 years ago

Yes they cheated. Extra grease on the chain was found……..really? Is the UCI gonna impound every bike and test them years later?

jeb
jeb
8 years ago

No denying Cancellara is a great cyclist but simply 3-4% better and the race is over. Watch the video of Van den Driessche on the Koppenberg at the Koppenbergcross where she rides away from the group sitting down barely working while everyone else was dying, it looks oddly similar to Cancellara riding away from Boonen on the Muur van Geraardsbergen. She was 10 seconds faster on the Koppenberg than anyone else that day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AlvQJqkfpk

Greg
Greg
8 years ago

I hope so

Kernel Flickitov
Kernel Flickitov
8 years ago

eWout eVan eAert

bb_nl
bb_nl
8 years ago

Brian Cookson, UCI president, has confirmed this morning that a bike with a motor was found and taken away by UCI officials. We do not know whether it was used. The story that the father of the prime suspect has released could theoretically still check out. Anybody can just buy a bike with a hidden motor: https://www.salden.nl/nl/wilier-triestina-e-cycl-ocrosser-met-trapondersteuning.html

Nico
Nico
8 years ago

Femke Van den Driessche. 19 year old from Belgium.

Bikesy
8 years ago

I’m looking on Aliexpress to see what the Chinese manufacturers are punting, there’s a lot of powerful systems out there but nothing as subtle as what looks to be used here.

Stendhal
8 years ago

Zach, we need a Bike Rumor review of this new and exciting technology because it is bound to trickle down to us everyday riders.

Sean
Sean
8 years ago

Defining this act with the term “Mechanical Doping” shows how stupid the pro officials and press is. It is plain simple, some who call themselves athletes will do anything to cheat in order to get a paycheck.

chasejj
chasejj
8 years ago

There is a day coming when all the e-bike naysayers will not be able to identify who has one of these.
MTB’s could use this tech and have enormous hidden batteries and even a more powerful motor given the larger hollow sections available in CF frames. The whole argument (at the nonracer consumer level) will be moot when you simply cannot tell if a rider has this tech or not.
Road Racing and MTB XC racing will become a tech inspection and overnight impound process I predict.

mudrock
mudrock
8 years ago

Don’t know about that year’s PR, but Cancellara had a bike change right before his attack on that hill at 2010 Flanders.

Daniel
Daniel
8 years ago

It’s stupid easy to check for a hidden motor non-invasively: use a magnet. There shouldn’t be anything in the seat tube that’s magnetically attractive. If there is, there’s reason to investigate. It’s a very quick and cheap test.

Veganpotter
Veganpotter
8 years ago
Reply to  Daniel

Well, a steel spindle will react with a magnet. Of course, putting steel outside of a frame could tell you but not nearly as well as a cheap compass

ginsu
ginsu
8 years ago

Gosh, if this is true, professional cycling will lose all respect. I can actually understand doping, at least, you’re still doing the work. But, to use a motor? I just don’t know how a pro could do that. I will be so disappointed.

PsiSquared
PsiSquared
8 years ago
Reply to  ginsu

The mentality required to use mechanical doping is no different than the one to use pharmacological doping. The only difference is that mechanical doping is a relatively new option. I don’t think this any more damaging than a racer getting busted for using EPO or some other chemical.

Bob
Bob
8 years ago

Guess it’s true:

A concealed motor was found on a bike being used by Belgian cyclist Femke Van den Driessche at the world cyclo-cross championships, the head of the International Cycling Union (UCI) said on Sunday, confirming the first such case at a top-level competition.

“It’s absolutely clear that there was technological fraud. There was a concealed motor. I don’t think there are any secrets about that,” UCI president Brian Cookson told a news conference.

Biassuit
Biassuit
8 years ago

I have the solution, 2 words, Transparent Frames. The UCI must mandate it now, or no one will be SAFE!!!

Larry Falk
Larry Falk
8 years ago

Greg LeMond with his ‘dope’ bike – worth a 52 second watch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKgJ_Uhwfno

kbark
kbark
8 years ago

Airport baggage scanner would be quick, easy, and effective would it not?

Padrote
Padrote
8 years ago

they’re giving drugs to the bikes too now?!

AA
AA
8 years ago

Nobody has bothered to mention that this thing adds a ton of weight to a bike. No pro rider wants that.

Veganpotter
Veganpotter
8 years ago
Reply to  AA

Even 5lbs of extra weight won’t hurt you when you get the extra power of a +130lb rider on your bike, without actually having 100lbs of weight gain

gustaf
gustaf
8 years ago

Cancellara was fast on the Muur, but it was more so that Boonen was not as good as the Belgians believed he was. In fact, I recall some spectators on the way to the finish telling that they saw Boonen stayering (!) a lot behind a motor to keep his 2nd place over Gilbert and Leukemans.

Ol'shel'
Ol'shel'
8 years ago

Yeah, nobody that has put so much hard work and effort into their career would ever risk cheating…

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