Motor doping?

[pwarbi]

It is discouraging and that's the worst aspect of it. The future of cycling is going to be in doubt now as a competitive sport, simply because children now coming through don't want to be associated with it.
From the drug culture that we're all well aware of, to these stories now of motor doping, cycling never seems to be too far away from controversy.

 

[chelsknits]

Who would have thought this could become an actual problem in a cycling event like the Tour De France? I wonder how exactly people can put a motor in their bicycle when the frames are so lightweight and think. In the article they have said that it was reported at least 7 cyclists last year were using bikes with some sort of motor component in them. Check out the article. Is this really a thing?
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/racing/motors-no-longer-rumour-222121

Wow, this is crazy. I completely believe it's possible though - if people want to win enough that they'll cheat, they'll go to extreme lengths to find a way to do it. I'd love to know how they manage to hide them though because like you said, there doesn't really seem like much room to hide a motor.

 

[pwarbi]

Another question is how should they be punished if they're found cheating in this way, because after all its still classed as cheating.

Will they be punished the same as those cyclists who take illegal substances or is it not as bad? Cheating is cheating at the end of the day so is one form of cheating any worse than any other?

 

[chelsknits]

Another question is how should they be punished if they're found cheating in this way, because after all its still classed as cheating.

Will they be punished the same as those cyclists who take illegal substances or is it not as bad? Cheating is cheating at the end of the day so is one form of cheating any worse than any other?

Personally, I think that all cheating should be treated the same way, no matter how the person is doing it. Either way they're giving themselves an unfair advantage and it isn't fair to the people who have trained and worked hard to be as good as they are.

 

[pwarbi]

Personally, I think that all cheating should be treated the same way, no matter how the person is doing it. Either way they're giving themselves an unfair advantage and it isn't fair to the people who have trained and worked hard to be as good as they are.

I think the same aswell to be honest and if we start to differentiate between cheating then it just complicates the matter even further. While cheating due to drug use is arguably the more serious, both are cheating so need to be treated the same and so punished the same in my eyes.

 

[chelsknits]

I think the same aswell to be honest and if we start to differentiate between cheating then it just complicates the matter even further. While cheating due to drug use is arguably the more serious, both are cheating so need to be treated the same and so punished the same in my eyes.

Exactly, if we begin to say that one form of cheating isn't as bad as another, more people would just be like "well the penalty for this isn't that bad, if I get caught it won't matter" and they'll start to do the one with the lesser punishment.

 

[pwarbi]

That's exactly what will happen. I don't think we'll ever be able to stop people cheating altogether as the prizes on offer are to big. People know that even if they cheat only once, then what they could win may set them up for the rest of their lives so they're going to take that chance.

Punishing those that are caught is only punishing those themselves and doesn't appear to be any sort of deterrent to others like in most cases a punishment should be.

 

[John Snort]

There are some who called "motor-doping" a fatal blow to cycling but it need not be so. When that came to light, it's going to be dealt with and there'll be no more cheating in future competitions, starting with this years Tour De France.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/01/sport/tour-de-france-froome-security-motors-euro-2016/

Tour de France chief Christian Prudhomme agreed and announced earlier this week that a series of special measures were being put in place in an attempt to beat anyone contemplating motorized cheating.

The expertise of the French Atomic Energy Commission has even been called upon to design a thermal imaging camera, which will be attached to iPad style tablets.These will be placed at undisclosed points on the race route in an attempt to act as a deterrent to any motor assisted riders.

Organizers are also promising other measures but not releasing the full details as they try to keep ahead of any malfeasance

It's good that action is being taken to stop cheating.

 

[pwarbi]

I do think that motor doping can be combated, just like drug cheating was but at the same time it makes me wonder what the next scandal is going to be to affect professional cycling. Lance Armstrong for one dealt a severe blow to the reputation of the sport, and many others have also brought cycling into disrepute. cycling was slowly starting to recover a little form that, only to be hit by this motor doping scandal, and while both will be fought, whats the next issue going to be?

It just seems that cycling is going from one mess to another, and the participants and teams involved need to take a long hard look at themselves, as it's not just the governing bodies that should uphold the reputation of the sport, but them as well.

 

[Troy S.]

Who would have thought this could become an actual problem in a cycling event like the Tour De France? I wonder how exactly people can put a motor in their bicycle when the frames are so lightweight and think. In the article they have said that it was reported at least 7 cyclists last year were using bikes with some sort of motor component in them. Check out the article. Is this really a thing?
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/racing/motors-no-longer-rumour-222121

I agree how sad it is that pro-cyclist and their accomplices have become very creative at cheating the way to success. Check out how some of this works and how this type of cycling tech and others will definitely ruin one's pro-cycling career" http://www.prodify.us/blog/cycling-tech-that-will-get-you-fired-from-cyclo-cross-or-cycling-period

 

[dabac]

... Didn't you hear about the woman that got caught using a motor in the youth world cup field cross?

To be picky:

Was she really caught using it?
Last I read, she was caught with a motorized bike in her pit area, which is a violation of the rules.
And it was that violation she was "taked to court" for.

Don't think there was any solid evidence of the bike actually having been used in the race.

Particularly since she DNF anyhow.

A really weird and murky history anyhow.
The bike was her race bike from the previous year, now supposedly sold to a mate who just happened to visit the races.
And just happened to hand the bike in to the pit staff for safe keeping...

While hugely improbable, her explanation isn't strictly impossible.

 

[dabac]

Yeah and there's more of these kind of videos. Look at this one of Ryder Hesjedal, the Canadian rider. Notice how his back wheel keeps spinning after he fell off and the bike is completely on itself. It's really odd to say the least.

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Hasn't that one been debunked?

At the approximate speed he was going when he crashed, the inertia in the wheel is enough to cause that behaviour.

It looks weird mainly b/c we don't have a suitable frame of reference to judge how a wheel will spin out in that kind of situation.

Just like the when the moon lander takes off. Also looks weird as we have no suitable frame of reference.