The International Cycling Union has begun to ramp-up their testing in order to find hidden motors inside of bikes. They plan on conducting a substantial amount of tests throughout the year, which will include major events such as the Tour de France and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. This news comes in the wake of the first official ban handed down from the UCI for a rider using a hidden motor during a competition.
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Since they began testing in January the UCI has tested over 2,500 bikes. As of now most riders will have their bikes tested routinely at team buses, but special testing will be done for riders who switch bikes during a race. By the end of 2016 the Union estimates they will test roughly 12,000 bikes.
Cheating in professional cycling has garnered headlines for years, and numerous riders have been caught and banned for using performance-enhancing drugs. The PED use in the sport has run rampant over the last two decades, much like it has in Major League Baseball; however the UCI has increased their testing and have become more vigilant than ever regarding that form of cheating.
For years there has been speculation in the cycling community from athletes, fans, and media members that motors have been used to gain a competitive advantage. However, until the 19-year-old Belgian rider was officially caught, all of the motorized bike talk was simply speculative.
Cycling is unique in the fact that athletes use highly sophisticated equipment as one of the main components of their sport. Over the last few decades road bikes have become increasingly more high tech, and lighter than ever. Riders, now routinely have to add weight to their bikes in order to meet the 15 pound minimum, required by the Tour de France. In a sport where the most essential equipment required to compete at a high level can cost up to $10,000 the need to continually innovate in order to win is staggering.
Adding these tiny and hidden motorized-devices is relatively simple, and recreational riders can purchase these bikes easily. Therefore it is more necessary than ever for the UCI to heavily test for this form of cheating.
The UCI conducts these tests by using magnetic resistance scans on a tablet. These tests can find hidden magnets, batteries and motors inside of bike frames, rims and wheel hubs within 30 seconds. The President of the UCI, Brian Cookson, sees these motorized and enhanced bikes as potentially very dangerous for the integrity of an already damaged sport. And he plans to make curbing their prevalence a top priority.
“This is something we believe is a serious threat to our sport and we are doing something about it… We wanted to demonstrate absolutely that we have put a massive amount of resources into this… There’s a message here to cheaters…If you are thinking of using this method, don’t. Because we will catch you.”
From 1999 until 2005, 87% of all top-10 finishers at the Tour de France were confirmed or suspected of doping. And PED use tarnished the reputation of some of its most famous athletes. Therefore the UCI is right to try and put a stop to this new form of mechanical doping before it permeates the sport.
Today technology plays a large role in helping athletes gain a competitive advantage. But in most sports technology is used to help athletes train smarter and avoid injuries, and can rarely be used to help them cheat during competition. This is hardly the case in cycling, where modern equipment helps drive the sport forward.
Advancements in sports technology are meant to enhance the athlete and fan experience, not create new ways to cheat. The UCI is right to put a lot of their resources into stopping this motorized doping, before it becomes as prevalent as PED use once was.