Mechanical Doping in Cycling: Tadej Pogacar's Opinion and Cases of Technological Fraud in Professional Cycling

2023-12-18 18:25:50

Updated18. December 2023, 7:25 p.m.

Cycling: Mechanical doping in cycling? Tadej Pogacar gives his opinion

The Slovenian, double winner of the Tour de France, spoke about the possible existence of hidden engines. “We can be calm about that,” he eludes.

Tadej Pogacar thinks it’s ‘not so easy to put a motor in a bike’.

Imago

Tadej Pogacar said on Monday that he did not believe in the existence of mechanical doping in professional cycling, judging that it was “not possible to hide” a motor in the bike without it being discovered. “Since electric bikes (editor’s note: general public) have become fashionable, we have seen that it is not so easy to put a motor in a bike. I think we would see it. I don’t think it’s possible to hide it,” declared the double winner of the Tour de France (2020 and 2021) during a press conference dedicated to his 2024 season in La Nucia, southeast of the Spain.

“There were rumors five, ten years ago. But I don’t even remember the last time I heard about it. I think we can be calm about that today,” added the leader of the UAE team.

“It’s not that easy to put a motor in a bike. I think we would see it”

Tadej Pogacar, double winner of the Tour de France

A proven case in cyclo-cross

Belgian Femke Van Den Driessche used a hidden engine during the 2016 Cyclo-cross World Championships.

Imago

Despite suspicions around ten years ago, no proven case of mechanical doping has ever been detected in a professional road cycling race. The only proven case of a bike aided by a hidden engine dates back to January 2016 at the U21 Cyclo-cross World Championships. It earned Belgian Femke Van den Driessche, 19, a six-year suspension by the UCI.

During the last Tour de France, the International Cycling Union (UCI) said it had carried out, as part of its program to combat technological fraud, 997 checks on all 21 stages which all turned out to be negative.