Although this is the first time something like this has been found in competition, I can remember a few prior allegations or instances that many people have found suspicious. So I don't personally find this to be a complete shock.<p>One thing I find interesting, for road cycling at least, is that the UCI mandated weight minimums could make it easier for a rider to attempt something like this. Many of the bikes need weights in the seat tubes to bring them up to the minimum weight, so the extra weight of a motor and battery wouldn't stick out as much. If they were to lower the 6.8kg minimum, a bike with motor and battery might end up weighing noticeably more than the average bike in the peloton.
Here's a good demonstration of the kind of tech we're talking about here from Greg LeMond <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKgJ_Uhwfno" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKgJ_Uhwfno</a>
For competition, it makes sense not to allow motors. But why is this also somehow taboo for recreational cyclists? That's something I never understood. They pay thousands for carbon fiber bikes and special wheels all to make pedaling easier, but they could spend a fraction of that on electric assistance which could have the same effect - do less work to ride the same distance.
Not as hilarious as more low-tech cheating: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E4vRtC7IcY" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E4vRtC7IcY</a>
I am wondering how long before only one bike is allowed for the stage, and there are tamper-evident seals on the bottom bracket for all bikes.<p>This said I wonder what principle(s) the "handheld detector" was operating under, maybe it could detect the winding(s) of the electrical motor via inductance or something?
UCI will be releasing more information tomorrow, so hopefully there will be pictures. This is huge news because while there have always been allegations, nothing has ever been confirmed. Seems like they used some handheld device to quickly check bikes that were in the pit.
> “I feel really terrible,” Belgian national team coach Rudy De Bie told Sporza. “This is a disgrace. I never imagined something like this would happen to our team. Why would a rider do this? Especially at such a young age. And who is responsible for her? I’m embarrassed on her behalf.”<p>Oh yeah? I can't imagine such a cheat would pass overhead of the coach. It feels like VW executives saying it was a couple of zealous engineers..
How much motor and battery can you get in a competition bike frame?<p>How much advantage can that provide, after taking into consideration the extra weight?
I am inclined to believe her when she says it's not her bike. In legal terms, the chain of custody was likely broken, and a lookalike bike got accidentally brought to the officials.<p>We'll see soon enough. With the amount of cameras and witnesses around it shouldn't be too hard to get to the bottom of this.<p>It will be interesting to see how the battery was hidden.<p>In Dutch:
<a href="http://www.demorgen.be/sport/van-den-driessche-fiets-is-van-vriend-zou-nooit-vals-spelen-b2bcd4b0/" rel="nofollow">http://www.demorgen.be/sport/van-den-driessche-fiets-is-van-...</a>
UPDATE: UCI confirms motorised doping uncovered at cyclo-cross World Championships<p>> Van den Driessche was eventually forced off her bike on the final lap when she was struck by mechanical problems and ended up walking with her bike. Her bike was taken for inspection along with several other bikes after the race. It gives Van den Driessche the dubious honour of being the first rider to be discovered to be using a motor.<p>Which is slightly different to yesterday when it was reported as being discovered in the pits.