UCI commissaries were out checking bikes for hidden motors this weekend at Omloop Het NIeuwsblad in Belgium, reportedly scrutinising dozens of bikes from competitors in both the men’s and women’s editions of the Belgian race that kicks off the cobbled Classics season.
This video from Dutch UCI WorldTour team LottoNL-Jumbo shows how a commissaire, using a tablet computer linked to a bespoke app developed or the governing body, scans a bike.
Fietsmotor controle voor de start van Omloop het Nieuwsblad.+++++Bike motor check at the start of Omloop het Nieuwsblad.
Posted by Team Lotto NL Jumbo Cycling on Saturday, 27 February 2016
As we reported last week, the Belgian cycling federation had been planning to invest up to €50,000 in its own scanning technology, but it seems the UCI will be carrying out random checks at races throughout 2016.
Philippe Marien of the UCI told the newspaper Het Nieuwsblad: ”With an iPad we can measure the cycling of magnetic waves. We use it on a scale of 1 to 10.
“At the lowest end of the scale, there is nothing to worry about.
“As soon as a 10 is registered, there is something wrong, so a further check is carried out and the bike taken apart,” he added.
He said the UCI is keen to push the technology further and is in discussions with companies developing more advanced ways of combating technological fraud.
Rumours of riders cheating by using concealed motors in their frames had been around for several years, but the discovery of one hidden inside a bike prepped for Belgian under-23 rider Femke Van den Driessche at the recent UCI World Cyclo-Cross Championships is the first time one has been found in competition.
Fair enough, personal experience may trump (not that one) theory. However, the bonking I have experienced has been due to lack of carbs. Your point...
Agreed, but he was still right to publicise the event. The police, if they're anything like Lancashire, will do nothing at all.
I'm not a Lance fan at all but the snarky tone of this is just dumb....
Weird - it was there earlier.
mdavidfrodo?
How can anybody reject the beauty of that? It's a wonderful mix of modern tech yet absolutely functional.
Not unless theVED is made eye wateringly expensive....
in the UK we have policing which to a greater or lesser extent relies on assistance from members of the public......
Just wanted to share a quick thank you to everyone who helped out in this thread....
So...don't cycle on it. Lots of other routes around that area. Source: I used to work there.