Merckx calls for life bans for motorised doping offences
“For me it’s the worst thing you can do”
Eddy Merckx has called for life bans for motorised doping and added that he believes such technological fraud to be a worse offence than the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Merckx’s comments follow the UCI’s announcement that it is investigating Belgian under-23 rider Femke Van den Driessche for technological fraud after a motor was discovered in one of her bikes at the Cyclo-cross World Championships on Saturday.
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Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.