UCI President Brian Cookson took questions from the media on Tuesday at the UCI's Headquarters in Aigle, Switzerland, during a presentation to explain the technology it uses to check for mechanical doping.
As part of the international governing body's recent effort to show it is serious about fighting mechanical doping, Cookson and UCI Technical Manager Mark Barfield reiterated their belief in the use of a tablet device to detect magnetic flux density of hidden motors or magnetic wheels.
A recent investigation by the French Stade 2 television programme and Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera suggested that motors are in use in the professional peloton and the UCI's method of detection is flawed. Cookson said Tuesday's demonstration was set up to counter criticism that the UCI wasn't doing enough to detect and deter potential mechanical doping.
"We wanted to demonstrate absolutely that we've put an incredible amount of resources into this, that we think we've got a really good system, great technology, great research and great partners that have helped us develop this technologically and mechanically," Cookson told the reporters in attendance. "That was the whole point of this."
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