There have been rumours for a long time, but since 31 January 2016 it has been certain: motor doping in cycling exists. The 19-year-old Belgian Femke van den Driessche had a bike with a concealed electric motor on the World Championship course. This attempt at cheating was uncovered during the subsequent inspection of the bikes, which was recognised as first e-doping case in the history of sport will go down in history. Clearly, the e-bike in the guise of a cross racer was not used effectively during the race. Van den Driesschen, who went into the women's U23 race as one of the favourites after good results and winning the European title last year, was unable to match the pace of the leaders from the start. After twenty minutes, she was already 1:09 minutes behind the leaders. Shortly after the start of the last of four laps, she dropped out. With working electric support, she would hardly have been so clearly distanced.
In November 2015, things looked very different. Video footage from the Koppenberg-Cross shows her light-footedly outpacing the world elite on the most difficult section of the course, the notorious cobblestone climb. In the end, she came second in the high-class race. The online community is now speculating as to whether the fast climb is evidence of electric assistance. Is her entire career built on fraud?
Van den Driessche vehemently denies that she deliberately brought the e-bike to the track and used it. She claims that the bike no longer belongs to her, that she sold it the previous year and did not realise that it now contained a motor. The UCI has referred the case to the disciplinary commission, which has the task of assessing these excuses. The Belgian now faces a hefty fine of at least 20,000 Swiss francs and a ban of at least six months.
Superhumanly fast?
The first speculation about electric motor support in top-level sport emerged in 2010 and concerned Fabian Cancellara, who rode clear of the field in Paris-Roubaix - remarkably easily, according to many observers. Triggered by the current van den Driessche case, "the Cancellara case" is also boiling up again: numerous videos are circulating on the internet that are said to provide evidence of superhuman acceleration.
But one should be careful when interpreting such images; the fact that a driver accelerates and suddenly drives faster than everyone else is no proof that they have been illegally assisted. It is human nature to put significantly more power on the pedals for a short time - and short means up to two minutes - than is possible in the long term. A world-class rider like Cancellara can rev it up from 400 watts to 600 to 650 watts and keep it up for around two minutes. Cristopher Froome also rode many an attack at the Tour de France in this style - and was promptly suspected of doping as a result. But riding like this is not superhuman, it is a question of willpower, training and timing, and a tactical element of every cycling race.
Beyond all speculation, however, it is a fact that bikes can be equipped with electric drives that cannot be easily detected from the outside. Racing bikes with invisible motors are available from 4,500 euros. The Belgian crosser van den Driessche's bike is presumably fitted with a modified Vivax drive - which the Italian bike manufacturer Wilier immediately distanced itself from and denied any responsibility for the modification of the bike. The motor system has been available for ten years - initially under the name Gruber Assist - costs 2,700 euros and can be retrofitted relatively easily, provided the seat tube of the frame is cylindrical. Hiding the batteries in the frame is easy to do with a little extra tinkering.
The UCI has so far refused to provide details about van den Driessche's seized bike; however, the fact that the bottom bracket could not be easily removed during the first inspection on race day is an indication that the drive unit came from Austria. An additional indication can be seen in the confirmation from Vivax that the UCI asked them for plans and removal tools. The Vivax motor acts directly on the bottom bracket shaft by means of a bevel gear and delivers up to 110 watts for one hour with the standard battery; the additional drive weighs around 1.8 kilograms. However, weight can of course be saved by reducing the size of the battery, which weighs around 850 grams, and shortening the range. In a top-class race of highly trained athletes, a short, powerful boost of 40 to 60 watts for ten minutes can make all the difference - the tiny, 75 gram battery of a camera would be enough for this, or even the battery of an electric Di2 drivetrain used for a different purpose.
The Italian sports daily Gazetta dello Sport recently claimed, citing an anonymous informant, that Vivax-style drives are widespread and have already influenced many races. The informant is quoted as saying that he had already sold more than 1,200 such systems in Italy alone and knew that the rankings of the Granfondos had been significantly falsified.
Electromagnetic tricks
However, the Gazetta informant believes that motor support like that of Vivax is already outdated. Current systems would only provide 20 to 60 watts; they would be hidden in the rear wheel and would function electromagnetically. The originator of this system could be the Hungarian engineer Istvan Varjas. Varjas confirmed to the French sports newspaper L'Equipe that he has been equipping athletes with a new type of electromagnetic drive in the rear wheel for years. The Monaco-based developer claims that his technology is undetectable, works silently, weighs just one kilogramme and delivers up to 600 watts. The bikes are sold via a middleman in Monaco at a unit price of 100,000 to 150,000 euros, and the waiting list is long.
Can that be? Doubts are justified. It is possible to integrate an electromagnetic drive into a carbon wheel, as the German wheel and carbon specialist Lightweight presented to the general public at Eurobike 2015: Lightweight patented the Velocité prototype back in 2010. However, the technical effort involved is considerable and it is by no means enough to just change the rear wheel. One component of the drive - a coil or permanent magnets - must be built into the frame. The efficiency also depends crucially on the rear wheel being as close as possible to the frame in order to reach the effective range of the magnets, as Robert Bastian, Head of Research and Development at lightweight manufacturer Carbofibretec, emphasises. On the Velocité, the seat tube therefore nestles close to the rear wheel via a larger circular segment - just like on some time trial bikes. With the large transmission surface and minimal gap dimensions, 500 watts of drive power are possible, while the concealed drive weighs an additional 3.25 kilograms.
With this knowledge, the argument that an electromagnetic drive is undetectable loses its validity; it may not be possible to find it from the outside without aids in a de-energised state because no additional friction can be felt when turning the driven wheel. However, the components - magnets, coils, cables and battery - will be found at the latest when the wheel is scrutinised.
Prominent warnings
Some prominent ex-professionals have been saying for years that motorbike doping represents a real new threat to the sport. Greg LeMond was one of the early admonishers, as was Chris Boardman. The former top racers share a flair for technology and the advantages it brings. Both have already demonstrated to the UCI what is possible with electric drives, Boardman told the British daily newspaper Telegraph back in 2010: "I sat in a meeting with the UCI and drew on a board how it could work. I showed them some ingenious boosting techniques, like those used in Formula 1, which can get a kilowatt out of a AAA battery. After that, the room was very quiet."
As a result, the world governing body began checking bikes as early as 2010. Bikes were x-rayed for the first time at the Tour de France and random checks are carried out using various methods. Bradley Wiggins' world record bike was also dismantled after his record, which the Brit thought was fine, as he suspects that engine doping has been around for several years. Alarmed by the latest discovery, the UCI now wants to take an even closer look. The UCI is not saying anything about the testing methods, it does not want to give potential perpetrators any clues. Most recently, commissioners were observed using a modified tablet computer to examine bikes from the outside. This could be a metal scanner that can detect hidden motors or cables, even if they are de-energised. There are even apps that turn a normal smartphone into a detector.
Checking in for the race
X-rays are probably more complex but also safer. The resolution can be selected so that even the smallest drives can be detected. In addition, the method is so fast that all bikes could be examined before the start of a race, just like when checking in at the airport. Uwe Hartnagel from X-ray specialist BHS X-ray Services estimates the acquisition costs for a sufficiently accurate bike scanner at three quarters to one million euros. Nothing remains hidden by these devices. According to Hartnagel, it doesn't matter whether the frame is metal or plastic: "That's not a problem with today's technology." Hidden plastic gears can also be detected.
Such a scanner would therefore be an important support in the fight against motorised doping in cycling. However, in view of the large number of cycling races around the world, one device is certainly not enough; the UCI - or whoever would be asked to pay for it - would be faced with considerable investment.
Other aspects therefore deserve consideration: changing bikes during a race, for example, would have to be severely restricted. At the moment, bikes can be swapped around freely - and can even disappear completely in the usual hustle and bustle of a race. This must not be allowed to continue. The UCI should develop a concept that restricts wheel changes and ensures that all material used in the race can be analysed afterwards. Exchanged - and possibly only supposedly defective - material could be collected by a neutral race control vehicle. It would also be helpful to limit changes to genuine defects and prohibit tactical wheel changes to a lighter or aerodynamically better wheel. This would make checks easier and also ensure equal opportunities.
It will not be so easy to control mass sporting events across the board. As with conventional doping, marathons and gran fondos will remain more susceptible to prohibited support. But here too, at least the best-placed runners could be checked. Random checks plus severe penalties would also provide a certain deterrent here - if the organiser wants it.
Willpower is also important in elite sport. Mechanical doping is severely penalised in UCI races. At least on paper. Since January 2015, engine doping has been penalised with a fine of 20,000 to 200,000 Swiss francs and a minimum six-month ban. The teams can also be severely sanctioned - even providing the material is considered an offence. It is now up to the officials - once again - to apply the rules so that engine doping can be effectively prevented.
