On Sunday, journalists at Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera and French TV network Stade 2 published evidence alleging seven cyclists were using hidden bike enhancements at two races in Italy last month. The International Cycling Union (UCI) has been using iPads to check bikes for electromagnetic irregularities, but the journalists used thermal cameras to collect additional data.
Speculation about tiny, battery-powered motors in the sport started around 2010. At the time, a spokesperson for the ICU told The New York Times: “Maybe we are facing a general problem. You never know with technology.”
In January, these concerns finally bore out when the UCI began investigating “technological fraud”. It discovered that 19-year-old Belgian competitor Femke Van den Driessche had a hidden electric motor on the bike she used in an off-road cyclo-cross competition. “We believe that it was indeed technological doping,” said UCI president Brian Cookson.
The Corriere della Sera and Stade 2 journalists allege that five riders were using electric motors similar to Van den Driessche’s, and two others had magnetic propulsion systems on their rear wheels. These electromagnetic wheels can add 20 to 60 watts of power on top of someone’s pedalling.