- News
- Reviews
- Bikes
- Accessories
- Accessories - misc
- Computer mounts
- Bags
- Bar ends
- Bike bags & cases
- Bottle cages
- Bottles
- Cameras
- Car racks
- Child seats
- Computers
- Glasses
- GPS units
- Helmets
- Lights - front
- Lights - rear
- Lights - sets
- Locks
- Mirrors
- Mudguards
- Racks
- Pumps & CO2 inflators
- Puncture kits
- Reflectives
- Smart watches
- Stands and racks
- Trailers
- Clothing
- Components
- Bar tape & grips
- Bottom brackets
- Brake & gear cables
- Brake & STI levers
- Brake pads & spares
- Brakes
- Cassettes & freewheels
- Chains
- Chainsets & chainrings
- Derailleurs - front
- Derailleurs - rear
- Forks
- Gear levers & shifters
- Groupsets
- Handlebars & extensions
- Headsets
- Hubs
- Inner tubes
- Pedals
- Quick releases & skewers
- Saddles
- Seatposts
- Stems
- Wheels
- Tyres
- Health, fitness and nutrition
- Tools and workshop
- Miscellaneous
- Tubeless valves
- Buyers Guides
- Features
- Forum
- Recommends
- Podcast
Ion Izagirre crash YouTube still.JPGVideo: New motor doping speculation after Izagirre time trial crash
Did Movistar rider Ion Izagirre have a motor illegally concealed in his bike during the 16 kilometre individual time trial at the Vuelta Valenciana yesterday?
That's the question posed by Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport after footage emerged showing the rear wheel of the Spanish rider's Canyon bike continuing to spin after he crashed.
The incident comes just days after a bike prepared for Belgian under-23 cyclo-cross rider Femke Van den Driessche was discovered to have a hidden motor at the World Championships in Zolder on Saturday.
> All our Femke Van den Driessche coverage here
It's also reminiscent of the rumours surrounding Garmin-Sharp's Ryder Hesjedal when his rear will continued to turn following a crash in the 2014 Vuelta.
> 'Motor doping' claims surround Ryder Hesjedal
His former team mate Alex Rasmussen subsequently produced his own video showing how the wheel could keep on spinning on its own.
> Rasmussen seeks to dispel mechanical doping rumours
Spanish sports website Mundo Deportivo's take on the issue is a little different, noting that the Italian dailies didn't miss an opportunity to ignite speculation against Izagirre - accusing La Gazzetta dello Sport and others of sour grapes, in other words.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
Latest Comments
- mdavidford 1 sec ago
#MakeRacingSlowAgain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB9lf9BqgmQ
- chrisonabike 7 min 26 sec ago
Probably like everyone - I've always done it so why should I change? We just don't notice (or don't want to notice) that we can't do things as...
- pockstone 16 min 41 sec ago
See my comment on the live blog...I think it's pretty clear who the real baddie is.
- hawkinspeter 1 hour 28 sec ago
Well, a large amount of traffic going along e.g. Beaufort Rd would be people not living in St George but merely travelling through the area and...
- Steve K 2 hours 3 min ago
It is, apparently, "packed with high visibility reflective details on back and shoulder."
- Rendel Harris 1 hour 8 min ago
The Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC) was one of the most important battles of the ancient world, where 7,000 Greeks, led by the Spartans under...
- ktache 11 hours 25 min ago
The people at Hexlox have asked me to tell others about their black Friday deals, but I don't quite know what the offer is yet. But saving anything...
- biking59boomer 14 hours 2 min ago
Sadly the cyclist hate in this country seems to have worsened of late. Dangerous motoring combined with anti-cycling officialdom in some places is...
Add new comment
35 comments
Yeah. That's a pretty fair hypothesis.
If the source video has high enough framerate/resolution, it's not hard to find out if the wheel slowed down at the rate that would be predicted given the hardware in use. If it doesn't slow down...well.
I fell off my bike the other week and the rear wheel kept spinning... (My bike certainly hasn't got a motor in it), this is hardly proof of a motor.
are you sure? it might have been a friends bike
Pages