Mechanical doping

[The Couch]

Interesting documentary on Holland television:
http://www.uitzendinggemist.nl/afleveringen/1387546

The part about mechanical doping starts at about 5:45, they (of course) start with referring to the infamous Cancellara on the Muur van Geraardsbergen (Tour de Flanders 2010). They continue with an interview of Nico Mattan, discussing/showing some Youtube images of a weird bike change from Cancellara.
At about 8 minutes the maker (and ex-doper Boogerd, who hasn't seen this system yet) go to a bike shop and show they system being placed (explaining that it should give about 150W extra). Then a short interview with Rasmussen. At about 11 min Boogerd rides the Muur with the bike (jokingly saying he would have won not only the Tour de Flanders, but as well the Tour de France with this bike). Then the maker takes the bike and quite easily beats Boogerd on a standard bike.

Strangely enough Boogerd ends with the statement, he wouldn't feel right/good with this bike.
(Rasmussen actually claims something similar in his earlier interview)


I am not commenting on the specific Cancellara example (I really - reeeeaaaally - hope Fabian isn't a cheat), but seeing how easy this is (and knowing that top-athletes want to win of course), I would seem surprising that all riders have stayed away from something so easy, no???


Di Luca (whatever credibility anything he says may or may not have) also makes a small comment in interview about it: http://translate.google.com/transla...be/cm/sporza/wielrennen/140121_di_luca_biecht

 

[thom]

Interesting documentary on Holland television:
http://www.uitzendinggemist.nl/afleveringen/1387546

The part about mechanical doping starts at about 5:45, they (of course) start with referring to the infamous Cancellara on the Muur van Geraardsbergen (Tour de Flanders 2010). They continue with an interview of Nico Mattan, discussing/showing some Youtube images of a weird bike change from Cancellara.
At about 8 minutes the maker (and ex-doper Boogerd, who hasn't seen this system yet) go to a bike shop and show they system being placed (explaining that it should give about 150W extra). Then a short interview with Rasmussen. At about 11 min Boogerd rides the Muur with the bike (jokingly saying he would have won not only the Tour de Flanders, but as well the Tour de France with this bike). Then the maker takes the bike and quite easily beats Boogerd on a standard bike.

Strangely enough Boogerd ends with the statement, he wouldn't feel right/good with this bike.
(Rasmussen actually claims something similar in his earlier interview)


I am not commenting on the specific Cancellara example (I really - reeeeaaaally - hope Fabian isn't a cheat), but seeing how easy this is (and knowing that top-athletes want to win of course), I would seem surprising that all riders have stayed away from something so easy, no???

Funny story - it is still the off season I guess…
Since the presenter got such a massive advantage over Boogerd, you could imagine that a quieter device delivering even only 30 watts would be decisive for someone like Cancellara.
The interview with Rasmussen is funny : "even for you that would be too much… ?" !

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Di Luca is just repeating what everyone read at the time of the Cancellara allegations. This program does give a little more credence to some of those.

 

[User169]

Then the maker takes the bike and quite easily beats Boogerd on a standard bike.

Even the postie can match Boogie up the Cauberg...


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-G_VtJPGFVw

 

[The Couch]

Quite interestingly, there was a check at this weekend's cyclocross World Championships.

The first 3 guys had there bike checked out after the finish-line (removing of saddle and looked into the tube with a camera).
Of course, these guys use about 4 or 5 bikes during a race, but still... UCI apparently feels they need to do something after the Di Luca outings (and the Dutch documentary)

FYI, the only engines Stybar and Nys need is their passion for the sport and their relentless professionalism/training work-outs

 

[beastie]

Quite interestingly, there was a check at this weekend's cyclocross World Championships.

The first 3 guys had there bike checked out after the finish-line (removing of saddle and looked into the tube with a camera).
Of course, these guys use about 4 or 5 bikes during a race, but still... UCI apparently feels they need to do something after the Di Luca outings (and the Dutch documentary)

FYI, the only engines Stybar and Nys need is their passion for the sport and their relentless professionalism/training work-outs

The UCI has been carrying out checks for this for over a year now.

 

[classic33]

AIGLE, Switzerland — Caught using a hidden motor at a world championship race, cyclo-cross rider Femke Van Den Driessche of Belgium has been banned from cycling for six years.

The sanction imposed Tuesday by the International Cycling Union is a first using its rules on technological fraud.

The UCI banned Van Den Driessche through Oct. 10, 2021, stripped her of the Under-23 European title she won last November and fined her 20,000 Swiss francs ($20,500).

She must return all prize money and trophies, including her Belgian national title, won since Oct. 11, the UCI disciplinary tribunal ruled.

The 19-year-old rider had said she would skip her disciplinary hearing at the UCI's Swiss offices and retire from racing.

The motor was found using magnetic resonance scans of bikes in the pits area at the women's world under-23 cyclo-cross race in Belgium in January.

"The motor was a Vivax which was concealed along with a battery in the seat-tube," the UCI said Tuesday. "It was controlled by a Bluetooth switch installed underneath the handlebar tape.

"(T)his new method of testing has proven in trials to be extremely effective in locating hidden motors or other forms of technological fraud as it quickly detects motors, magnetic fields and solid objects concealed in a frame or components," the UCI said.

The ruling followed 10 days after a French broadcaster and Italian newspaper alleged it used thermal cameras to detect suspected motors in bikes in two men's road races in March.

Cookson said last week the claims were based on "inconclusive" evidence, and expressed confidence in the UCI's detection methods

http://beta.pe.com/articles/driessche-801105-year-gets.html

 

[oldroadman]

Hmm...I wish this was simply called "cheating" or "sporting fraud".
"Mechanical doping" - really? Nothing to do with stupidly ingesting substances, everything to do with simple straightforward cheating by taking illegal assistance. I think 6 years off will do, and the UCI will never get the fine as the rider will simply stop racing. From reports, she appears to have something in the family background with, shall we say, cutting corners being a life style.