Electromagnetic wheels are the new frontier of mechanical doping, claims Gazzetta dello Sport

Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport has described a motor hidden in the seat tube and bottom bracket as ‘old doping’ suggesting that special wheels, able to produce 20-60 watts via electromagnetics and costing 200,000 Euro, are the most sophisticated form of mechanical doping currently in use in cycling.

The UCI confirmed during the cyclo-cross World Championships in Zolder this weekend that they had discovered the first ever case of ‘technological fraud’. The 19-year-old Belgian Femke Van den Driessche claimed that the bike belonged to a friend and had been mistakenly prepared, and taken to the race pits by her mechanic.

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Electromagnetic wheels

 

Stephen Farrand
Editor-at-large

Stephen is one of the most experienced members of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. Before becoming Editor-at-large, he was Head of News at Cyclingnews. He has previously worked for Shift Active Media, Reuters and Cycling Weekly. He is a member of the Board of the Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme (AIJC).