Road cycling. Mechanical doping

[Garp]

Just take this as it comes, some Italian journalist declares that cyclists are using an engine inside their frame.

[kaisen]

That's actually pretty impressive. My wife needs one to keep up

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Interesting theory. I think the cost (weight) would outweigh the benefit though, even if it were possible.

First off, a motor would not last very long to be able to put out the kind of power and torque required to give a "boost". While one certainly could be built that might do SOMETHING and give SOME kind of advantage for a few seconds perhaps (yes, this could make a difference in a race) you have to remember that the rider is lugging the weight of this device around for the rest of the stage.

If a rider can lug something that heavy around with them for the whole race until a critical moment and still be out near the front or positioned for an attack where they might actually realize some benefit from it, then that person is probably strong enough to win without it.

There are road guys who are AMATEURS who get into counting grams on their bikes. A motor and batteries are going to represent a lot of weight considering that a few grams is enough to make a competitive difference one way or the other for world class riders.

Interesting theory, but I think those guys need tin-foil bike helmets.

[Rich76_911s]

NOS for Bikes, awesome

I'm with P-O-P on this one.

[Zeke]

And here I thought it would be compressed air.

[island911]

I disagree with PoP. The biggest power-drain is drag, not weight.

Even if the course took the riders up a (net) climb, the energy stored would likely lift the weight of the mechanism far beyond the climb of the course.

The big thing, however, is in the ability of a ride to break-away such that the next guy can't just draft.

[BGCarrera32]

Uh huh. Looks like the P.R. department of Floyd Landis is making You-Tube videos with CAD animations.

[sc_rufctr]

You shouldn't dismiss this off hand. It is possible to build such a device.

Just imagine for a minute being able to charge the battery on the down hill stages and then using that "charge" on the flats and climbs.

Pro cyclists have always looked for an edge... Performance enhancing drugs have been the norm for decades.
But I suspect it would be very easy to find this device in a tech inspection.

Meanwhile I did some searching and came up with this.
--- The fact that the officials are aware of the allegations and doing something about it tells you there could be some truth to this.

"Elaborating on the UCI's preventative measures, Marco Bognetti, consultant to Jean Wauthier, the current head of the body's materials unit, said:
"We've discovered that it [the motor] could save a rider between 60 and 100 watts, which is an enormous advantage in the finale of a race.
Our technicians are working on a special scanner that will discover hidden motors inside the frames. All the bikes at the major races will soon be checked."

Cycling officials dismiss claims of 'mechanical doping' in the sport | Sport | guardian.co.uk