Fabian Cancellara at the base of the Muur van Geraardsbergen(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara breaks away alone in the 2012 Strade Bianche(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara riding to the victory in 2010(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara and Tom Boonen riding side-by-side in 2010(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara responded to accusations that he resorted to mechanical doping by demanding a halt to the sales of the book containing the allegations, Phil Gaimon's Draft Animals: Living the Pro Cycling Dream (Once in a While), according to Het Nieuwsblad.
Speaking through his manager Armin Meier, Cancellara also called for a public apology from the retired American rider.
The passage in Gaimon's book frames the allegations in a manner similar to internet arguments dating back to the 2010 Tour of Flanders, when suspicions that Cancellara's acceleration on the Kapelmuur being 'unnatural' first arose.
"When you watch the footage, his accelerations don't look natural at all, like he's having trouble staying on the top of the pedals. That fucker probably did have a motor," Gaimon writes.
The UCI president David Lappartient told Cyclingnews last week that the federation has no option but to investigate the allegations.
"Of course, I heard all the rumours, like everybody, and I just want to know exactly. So we will investigate, that is our job," Lappartient said.
"At this level, I cannot say more than this, but I hope that this never happened in professional cycling. If this was the case, it would be a disaster for the image of cycling and that's why we have to fight. I want the people and the fans on the road to be able to trust the result, trust the UCI and trust the controls from our institutions."
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Cancellara has always denied accusations of mechanical doping, saying "my body is my motor". Gaimon, when asked about the passage by Cyclingnews last week clarified that he felt that mechanical doping did happen, but only a few times before the public caught on and made it impossible to continue using motors. He insisted that the anecdote was taken out of the context of him trying to break down the sport's main heros and focus attention on lesser, deserving riders.
