After it was discovered at the last Cyclocross World Championship that a rider was hiding a small electric motor in her bicycle, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has stepped up its efforts to prevent this type of technological doping from spreading in the peloton. The world’s top cycling body seeks to prevent these cheats in both road bike competitions and mountain bike events, disciplines where the integrity of the equipment and the rider’s natural performance are essential.
To ensure fair play, the UCI has implemented a new inspection protocol, based on a high-precision scanner that detects any magnetic alteration caused by an electric motor, a magnet or a hidden battery. This system allows frames, shifting groups, and wheels to be analyzed, sending the data to software that inspectors can review from a tablet. If the program detects anomalies, the bike is disassembled for a more detailed inspection.
This new anti-fraud method was recently put into practice at the Tour de Romandie, where 347 of the 507 participating bikes, both road and mountain, were scanned by the UCI without finding any signs of technological fraud. With this measure, the aim is to preserve the essence of cycling and prevent competitions from being affected by unauthorized technologies.
Thermal cameras, X-rays and ultrasounds
The magnetic scanner is the latest in a long list of hidden motor detection methods that the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has recently been working on. Among these systems, the use of thermal cameras and X-rays stand out, although both have been discarded due to their limitations.
One of the first detection attempts was through thermal cameras , designed to identify temperature variations in the frame, bottom bracket, or gear group, which could reveal the presence of a hidden electric motor. However, this method only works when the motor is running or has stopped recently, making it ineffective for pre- or post-competition inspections. The UCI itself acknowledged that the technological fraud detected at the 2016 Cyclocross World Championship would not have been discovered with this technique, since the motor was not active at the time of the inspection.
On the other hand, the use of X-rays was also ruled out due to high logistical costs and the slowness of the process, which made it difficult to analyze mountain bikes and road bikes at large-scale events. Likewise, the use of ultrasound was evaluated, a method used in industry to analyze the density of materials. However, the variability in carbon thicknesses in bicycle frames made it difficult to calibrate this system for its application in professional cycling.
Brian Cookson, president of the UCI, has expressed his confidence in the effectiveness of the magnetic scanner as a definitive solution to prevent technological doping in road bike and mountain bike competitions. "We are going to make sure that no one is tempted to cheat, knowing that there is a high probability of being detected," he stated.