Tour de France bikes to be scanned for motors?

In the quest to win cycling's greatest race, cyclists are apparently willing to resort to hidden motors in their bike frames to give them another advantage. I guess drugs just aren't cutting it anymore.

The International Cycling Union (UCI) said that bikes used at the Tour de France will be scanned to make sure they don't contain illegal motors, a result of rumours that Fabian Cancellara used 'mechanical doping' during his victories in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. The Swiss Olympic time-trial champion strongly denies the allegation.

The ICU said in a statement that "a scanner will be used from the time of the Tour de France. This instrument, recently tested with a successful outcome, will allow an official to detect any illegal devices that may be concealed, for example, in the bicycle frame."

A video posted on various websites (in French, with subtitles) appears to show Cancellara pushing a button on the handlebars of his bike during both races.

The 2010 Tour de France begins in Rotterdam on July 3 and concludes in Paris on July 25.

Cheating in the Tour de France isn't new. Many people think that the doping issues that have plagued the sport in the last two decades marked the decline of the sport. However, cheating has existed almost from day one. During the second Tour de France in 1904, Maurice Garin, winner of the inaugural French race in 1903, was disqualified after hopping on a train during one of the stages.

Others riders took short cuts in the early years as well. While some jumped into cars, others resorted to being towed by cars in which the cyclist would fix a wire to a wing mirror and then hold it between their teeth by a cork.

Using a bike to hide contraband isn't new either. One of the great Italian cycling icons, Gino Bartali, used his fame to carry messages and documents to the Italian Resistance during World War II. Pretending to be training, Bartali helped several hundred Jews escape the German death camps.

While "training," Bartali wore a racing jersey emblazoned with his name so that everyone knew who he was. Neither the Fascist police nor the German troops risked discontent among the Italian people by arresting him.

Whether it's cars, trains, drugs or motorized bikes, you just can't have a Tour de France without some controversy. I guess it is what it is.


Jeff
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