Mechanical Doping: Pro Cycling In the News Again

It has been 11 years since Lance Armstrong stood on the podium in the Tour de France. In 2016, the news is filled with new accusations of cheating in pro cycling. This time the International Cycling Union (UCI), the governing body of pro cycling, accused Belgian cyclo-cross rider Femke Van den Driessche of technological fraud at the 2016 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium.

The UCI used an application installed on a tablet to scan the bicycle. Previously, the UCI had to ask the team mechanics to disassemble the bicycles to help them inspect them. The technological fraud is a confirmed case of mechanical doping that has been rumored for years on the pro circuit. Mechanical doping is adding a small electric motor powered by a battery to the bike that will help the cyclist by providing power to the crankshaft.

Currently one Austrian company, vivax drive GmbH & Co KG, is selling the Vivax Assist, an E-Bike System. It has an electric motor installed in the seat post of a bicycle that connects to the crankshaft with gears in the bottom bracket of the bike. The battery is hidden in a saddle bag or water bottle and will last up to 60, or 90 minutes, depending on which battery you buy. This device supplies 200 watts to the crankshaft. The pedals will keep turning, yet the cyclist does not have actually to pedal to sustain 17 to 20 miles per hour on a flat road. Or provide enough power to motor up an incline of 4 to 6% easily. The company claims that the device will help cyclists keep up on group rides where the other cyclists are stronger, thus keeping group rides together.

This line of marketing does not explain the hidden motor, battery or the small button to start and stop the motor installed on the end of the handlebar. And selling this device at $3,000 makes it tough for a weekend cyclist to buy one just to stay with the Saturday group ride.

At this point, the UCI rules call for a minimum 6-month suspension and a fine of 20,000 to 200,000 Swiss francs (or $19,700 to $197,000). Cycling great Eddy Merckx said in a press conference on February 2 that cyclists caught using motorized bicycles should be banned for life.

Through fifteen years of various cheating schemes in pro cycling, it is time for the UCI, sponsors and cycling TV networks get serious about penalizing cyclists and teams that cheat. The conversation around pro cycling has revolved around cheating and not on top cyclists or pro teams for too long. The number of fans that watch races on TV can not expand if the cheating is at the center of the sport.