A 19-year-old Belgian cyclist got caught cheating at the world championships after racing a bike that had a motor hidden in the frameCycling officials on Saturday detained a bicycle ridden during the cyclocross world championships in Zolder, Belgium, to investigate "technological fraud" — and it turns out a young Belgian cyclist was cheating by racing a bike with a concealed motor in the frame.
It is the first official case of "mechanical doping" or "bike doping" at cycling's highest level. Speculation over motorized cheating has been expressed for years but never revealed until now.
If used at the right time during a race even a small motor can provide a critical burst of power and speed.
The International Cycling Union confirmed on Sunday that the bicycle did have a motor in the frame and that the bike belonged to Belgium's Femke van den Driessche, 19.
'Technological fraud'"It's absolutely clear that there was technological fraud. There was a concealed motor. I don't think there are any secrets about that," UCI President Brian Cookson told a news conference, AFP reported.
Van den Driessche was among the race favorites but was forced to withdraw from the women's under-23 event because of a mechanical problem. Sporza reported that there were "electrical cables" seen coming out of the bike.
'It wasn't my bike'Van den Driessche denied she had used a bike with a concealed motor on purpose, saying that it was identical to her own but belonged to a friend and that a team mechanic had given it to her by mistake before the race, AFP reported.
"It wasn't my bike, it was that of a friend and was identical to mine," a tearful Van den Driessche told Belgian TV channel Sporza, AFP reported. "This friend went around the course Saturday before dropping off the bike in the truck. A mechanic, thinking it was my bike, cleaned it and prepared it for my race," she added, insisting that she was "totally unaware" it was fitted with a hidden motor.
"I feel really terrible. I'm aware I have a big problem. (But) I have no fears of an inquiry into this. I have done nothing wrong," she added. AFP also reported that Belgian coach Rudy De Bie said he was "disgusted."
"We thought that we had in Femke a great talent in the making but it seems that she fooled everyone," he told Sporza. Sven Nys, a veteran of cyclocross and one of its best riders, said he was shocked and disappointed.
"We've heard some stories for a long time now about the possibility of this. We have been alive to a potential way that people might cheat and we have been testing a number of bikes and a number of events for several months," Cookson said, according to AFP.
"I am committed and the UCI is committed to protecting the riders who do not want to cheat in whatever form and to make sure that the right riders win the race. We have been looking at different methods of testing this kind of technology and we tested a number of bikes yesterday and one was found.
"We will keep testing both at this event and subsequent events. Whether this means that there is widespread use of this form of cheating remains to be seen."
Cookson said that the matter would next go before the UCI's disciplinary commission.
Call for 'lifetime suspension'Etixx team manager Patrick Lefevere called for a "lifetime suspension for the cheat."
"I never thought that such schemes were possible. It's a scandal that Femke's entourage have deceived the Belgian federation," he said.
The news is a fresh blow to a sport still recovering from the Lance Armstrong doping scandal after the disgraced American cyclist admitted to cheating throughout his career in 2013 following years of denials and ruthless attacks on his accusers, AFP noted.
The UCI has been taking the possibility of technological fraud seriously over the past few years. New penalties include disqualification, a suspension of six months, and a fine of up to 200,000 Swiss francs (about $195,000). Teams could be fined 1 million francs (roughly $977,500).
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