Mechanical doping: A brief history

Some people have speculated that some pro riders are hiding small motors inside their bikes (Image credit: James Huang/BikeRadar)

What is mechanical doping? The UCI officially calls it ‘technological fraud’ and introduced regulations last January that could see a rider given a minimum suspension of six months and huge fines if riders and teams are caught using a hidden motor in their bikes to boost their performance.

UCI confirms motorised doping uncovered at cyclo-cross World Championships

Femke Van den Driessche denies using motor at cyclo-cross World Championships

Electromagnetic wheels are the new frontier of mechanical doping, claims Gazzetta dello Sport

Wilier Triestina to take legal action after motor found in bike at cyclo-cross Worlds

Froome calls on UCI to increase checks for motors

Cancellara curious to see how motor investigations unfold

Van den Driessche’s friend claims ownership of motorised bike

UCI needs to take fast and tough action in motorised doping case, says European Cycling Union

Cookson on mechanical doping: Don’t delude yourself that we haven’t been taking this seriously

UCI sends Van den Driessche’s mechanical doping case to Disciplinary Commission

UCI search for mechanical doping at the La Mediterraneenne race

UCI checks 90 bikes for mechanical doping at La Méditerranéenne

Mechanical dopers should be heavily punished, says CPA

139 mechanical doping checks carried out at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

Van den Driessche stops defence against mechanical doping charge

Mechanical doping used in Strade Bianche and Coppi e Bartali, claims investigation

Mechanical doping: UCI commissaire highlights legal grey areas

Mechanical doping: Bettini calls on UCI to use thermal cameras at Giro d'Italia

Contador backs lifetime ban for mechanical doping

Boonen: Mechanical doping is the lowest of the low

UCI reveals technology used to detect mechanical doping

Cookson answers questions about mechanical doping - Video

Stade 2 programme claims UCI tipped off others about police investigation into mechanical doping

Thermal cameras to detect mechanical doping spotted mid-stage - Tour de France Shorts

Mechanical doping inventor says UCI obstructed police attempts to find cheaters at this year's Tour de France

Mechanical doping inventor promises major revelation in January

CBS 60 Minutes investigates mechanical doping in professional cycling

Tour de France to continue thermal imaging checks for mechanical doping

CBS 60 minutes to broadcast investigation into mechanical doping on Sunday

Claims of mechanical doping at the Tour de France in CBS 60 Minutes investigation

Bruyneel blasts LeMond for 'obsession' with Armstrong and mechanical doping

53-year-old amateur rider caught using hidden motor at Italian race

Italian amateur denies using mechanical doping

Report: Four ways to hide motor doping in a race bike

Doubts raised over effectiveness of UCI tests for mechanical doping

UCI's mechanical doping tests called into question - Video

UCI defends mechanical doping testing procedure

French veteran rider reportedly caught using mechanical doping

French veteran racer defends his use of mechanical doping

The existence of mechanical doping began as a whisper back in 2010 with suggestions of riders using hidden motors in professional races. Fabian Cancellara was at the centre the social media storm after he rode away from Tom Boonen on the steepest part of the Kapelmuur in the Tour of Flanders, leaving the Belgian commentators stunned at the force of his acceleration while seated. Cancellara always angrily denied the accusations. In 2014 and 2015 further suspicions of mechanical doping arose again, with video footage of spinning wheels fuelling the rumours via social media.

"I sat at a meeting with the UCI last year and drew on the blackboard exactly how this might work," Boardman told the Telegraph. "I showed them some of the sophisticated boosting technology now available, mainly from F1 teams, that can get a kilowatt out of a single AAA battery. And don't forget electrically operated gears are legal these days so there is already a power source on many bikes. I think it would be fair to say there was a stunned silence after I said my piece."

Giro d'Italia winner Alberto Contador raised suspicions by taking some oddly timed bike changes in the race. With all the rumors swirling around motors, some assumed he was using the swaps to get on a bike with a motor, to which he responded: "The whole thing about motors is a joke, it comes from the world of science fiction. The changes depend on how the stage unfolds, we can use different type of tubulars, bearings or even stiffer wheels. These are solutions that over 30-40km can give a slight advantage. It’s got nothing to do with motors."

Greg LeMond believed the rumors, and gave some practical advice to the UCI: “I know that motors exist, I’ve ridden a bike with one and I’ve met the inventor and talked about it. If people think they don’t exist, they’re fooling themselves, so I think it’s a justified suspicion. I believe it’s also been used in the peloton. It seems too incredible that someone would do it, but I know it’s real. It’s simple to check for, much easier than doping, but not by looking down the tube. You need a thermal heat gun, you can use it in the race. It can see from metres away if there a difference in the heat in the bottom bracket. I’d recommend that to the UCI.”

"For the last few years now there have been rumours about motors being concealed within the bikes. It's a concern that I've had, something that I've brought up with the UCI Independent Commission when I sat down with them and said ‘listen, from my point of view there are these rumours, it would be my advice that the UCI implements controls and measures to start checking bikes more regularly'," Froome said.

“A motor hidden in the seat tube is old stuff, almost artisan. It’s been overtaken, it’s a poor man’s doping,” Gazzetta dello Sport's Claudio Ghisalberti wrote. “The new frontier is far more technologically advanced and ten times as expensive. It’s in the rear wheel: it costs 200,000 Euros, and there’s a waiting list of six months. The first type uses a motor to turn the cranks; the second is electromagnetic.”

CPA President Gianni Bugno said that mechanical doping is hardly a problem in the pro road peloton, and supported the UCI's efforts. "We are convinced that the UCI is doing its best to improve and refine the controls and we hope there will be a progress, with the cooperation of manufacturers, in order to remove any doubt about the athletes' performances. We, too, within our association, are looking for solutions to make controls the most precise and quick as possible and we know we can count on the full cooperation of the riders," Bugno said.

A joint investigation into mechanical doping by French television programme Stade 2 and Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera claimed that the UCI's tablet is ineffective, and purported to have evidence using thermal cameras that there have been motors used in the professional peloton - as recently as Strade Bianche and the Coppi e Bartali. The investigation showed technology that hides motors inside the rims of deep dish carbon wheels.

The UCI rejected criticisms that its tablet device is ineffective in detecting motors, stating, "We have looked at thermal imaging, x-ray and ultrasonic testing but by far the most cost effective, reliable and accurate method has proved to be magnetic resonance testing using software we have created in partnership with a company of specialist developers. The scanning is done with a tablet and enables an operator to test the frame and wheels of a bike in less than a minute."

“This decision follows the discovery of a concealed electric motor in one of the rider’s bikes during checks at the Women Under 23 race of the UCI Cyclocross World Championships in January 2016. The bike concerned was scanned using the new magnetic resonance testing deployed this year by the UCI. This detected the motor whilst the bike was in the rider’s pit area. The motor was a Vivax which was concealed along with a battery in the seat-tube. It was controlled by a Bluetooth switch installed underneath the handlebar tape."

"Finding an engine in a bike is a pretty simple thing to do in this day and age," Brailsford said bluntly, raising his voice.
"If your friend is asking about thermal imaging or whatever, tell him to get one himself and come and have a look. Froome's bike has been tested more than everyone else's, we get tested every day. We actually had an email from the UCI saying thank you for being the most cooperative team out of everybody when it comes to bike checks and mechanical checking.