If winning is so important to these miscreants, why don't they just go into hedge fund management where they can cheat to their heart's desire, make a lot of money and suffer no consequences?
1
I agree with one writer from earlier, boycott this pathetic cheat-filled sport, sap it's sponsorship monies away--then the big prize money disappears. Very sad, such a wonderful sport but ruined by being unable to stamp out the rampant culture of cheating of the sport. Part of the problem somewhat (somewhat) unique to endurance cycling is the ridiculous lengths of events like the TD France. Such an event invites pain killers, doping and now motor doping. Every sport invites some cheating and every sport has it's unique difficulty from pitching to golf to triathlon to cycling but even full IronMan's don't offer as much of an opening for cheating in my humble opinion.
1
Wouldn't the additional weight of these motors cancel out any performance benefit from them?
I am shocked -- shocked ...
3
Obviously attaching a secret motor to your bike is cheating. But calling this "motor doping" is just dumb. "Doping" is not a synonym for cheating.
Hard to get excited about a sport that appears to lack legitimacy. Maybe if the prize money and sponsorships go away until the cyclists clean up their act, the sport will regain its integrity.
3
I want to ride in a race costumed as King Kong but with an "enhanced" bike. Keep the officials guessing.
1
So that's how all those easy riding people power up San Francisco's
hills. Time to reconsider the in your face bike lobby and the ubiquitous bike lanes stalling mass transit.
hills. Time to reconsider the in your face bike lobby and the ubiquitous bike lanes stalling mass transit.
2
So a middle aged or older commuter on a bike getting an assist up a hill is somehow cheating? My friend in SF, the one who taught me to ride a road bike in college 40 years ago, now commutes on an e-bike to work. He pedals but with the occasional assist. Hardly a pro-cyclist.
Would you rather them further clogging up the streets with cars? Or the streetcars thereby lowering the odds of you getting a seat?
Would you rather them further clogging up the streets with cars? Or the streetcars thereby lowering the odds of you getting a seat?
9
This article is about cheating by racers, not commuting. Duh.
@RDG
I visited SF in December. I'd rather SF clean up BART and expend the network because right now it goes nowhere and is expensive and slow. CalTrain is the same and who's bright idea was it to not connect BART and CalTrain stations?
I visited SF in December. I'd rather SF clean up BART and expend the network because right now it goes nowhere and is expensive and slow. CalTrain is the same and who's bright idea was it to not connect BART and CalTrain stations?
2
Cycling/endurance training is so popular amongst the most type-A white collar people, as evidenced by all the CEO puff pieces in recent years about how it gives them the edge...
Forgive me for this assumption and over-generalization regarding the Times' readership but at least a few individuals posting here are clearly such people who are able to enjoy such a sport, and also happen to be fans.
The intensity of their outrage about a lack of moral standards in arguably the most benign field (pro sports!) with the least amount impact on anybody's life and well-being, is disappointing to say the least. Maybe that is exactly the problem. The people "on top" aren't amoral, they are just passionate about the wrong issues. Unless they are Nike or UPS shareholders, in which case it would make sense.
Forgive me for this assumption and over-generalization regarding the Times' readership but at least a few individuals posting here are clearly such people who are able to enjoy such a sport, and also happen to be fans.
The intensity of their outrage about a lack of moral standards in arguably the most benign field (pro sports!) with the least amount impact on anybody's life and well-being, is disappointing to say the least. Maybe that is exactly the problem. The people "on top" aren't amoral, they are just passionate about the wrong issues. Unless they are Nike or UPS shareholders, in which case it would make sense.
3
Perhaps there should be tiered competition? Naked (literally), Naked-M (metaphorically), Enhanced, and No Holds Barred. No Holds Barred would be akin to a Westinghouse competition. Just think of the advancements that can be applied to medicine, space travel and warfare.
Just saying. There's value at all levels. Can't stand in the way of progress and there will always be throwbacks (paleo types).
Lisa Wiseman MD
Just saying. There's value at all levels. Can't stand in the way of progress and there will always be throwbacks (paleo types).
Lisa Wiseman MD
2
Cheaters are ultimately responsible. However, society's addiction to entertainment and the world's mantra "more, better, more" contribute to the pressure athletes face.
6
So much for Lance Armstrong being anything other than an exemplar of a sport riddled top to bottom with cheating riders and team owners, with the cycling organizations turning a blind eye.
Inspecting bikes right before the start of the race is an obvious fix--so obvious, that the fact it is not done shows the cycling authorities are similar to the baseball owners who knew steroid use was rampant.
Inspecting bikes right before the start of the race is an obvious fix--so obvious, that the fact it is not done shows the cycling authorities are similar to the baseball owners who knew steroid use was rampant.
7
One solution would be to legalize everything—doping, motors, sticks with nails on them. It would make for a colorful sport.
6
Gosh, golly gee. Cheating in biking? Well I never. And biking is so good for the environment. Not like those brutes who play college football!
2
"I am shocked—shocked—to find that cheating is going on in cycling!"
8
Bicycle racing is now a complete joke and was well along its way starting a long time ago. I'd have it go back to its origins and ban all the support vehicles and radios and whatever, and let one rider have and be responsible for one bike to ride (and-unassisted-repair when necessary) for the whole course. That would as they say "separate the men from the boys" and i doubt if any little hidden motor would then make a difference. But let the motors be! At race's end, check the winning bike: if it has a motor assist, second place becomes first and so on...end of story. That way you don't need to police everything all the time.
7
Just another black mark against a sport which already has a number of black marks. A number of pro teams train around here, because of the altitude. Sometimes clogging two lane roads, in the process. Cycling is now at the point that competitors are effectively killing their sport. Who wants to watch competition, where the goal is to out cheat your competitor?
Those organizations which oversee cycling need to do more than just lip service. They need to inspect all equipment a cyclist plans to use during all stages of a race. They need to do drug testing at the end of every stage. They need to have compliance handled by independent monitors
In other words, cheaters have pushed the sport to the point that it has to prove to teh world it is a viable competition.
I used to enjoy watching the Tour de France, and some of the local competitions here, but not no more. How can I enjoy a sport where the "sportsmanship" is taken out of it?
Those organizations which oversee cycling need to do more than just lip service. They need to inspect all equipment a cyclist plans to use during all stages of a race. They need to do drug testing at the end of every stage. They need to have compliance handled by independent monitors
In other words, cheaters have pushed the sport to the point that it has to prove to teh world it is a viable competition.
I used to enjoy watching the Tour de France, and some of the local competitions here, but not no more. How can I enjoy a sport where the "sportsmanship" is taken out of it?
3
Those who oversee pro racing do more to police it than any other major sport.
So far, although I assume motors have been used, none have been detected in a race. How are motors different than scratched baseballs and corked bats? You rant about cycling but it's the one sport where it's overseers have tried hard to weed out cheaters.
So far, although I assume motors have been used, none have been detected in a race. How are motors different than scratched baseballs and corked bats? You rant about cycling but it's the one sport where it's overseers have tried hard to weed out cheaters.
Yeah, cycling has a problem. But reading these comments I'm wondering where the same condemnation and outrage is for corked bats, deflated and modified balls, rampant steroid use in all major american sports, and so on. Cycling tries very hard to catch the cheats, harder than any other sport. Until the others sports match the level of testing and evaluation, I'll go ahead and presume cheating is common in every professional sport.
6
Perhaps cycling's recent well-publicized foibles herald the end of all sports as we know it. One cannot (and should not have to) police everything an athlete ingests, wears, rides, etc. in order to ensure fair competition. Like the politics of "fair trade", fair sport requires an inquiry into what is actually meant by "fair." The percentage of an athlete's success that due to hard work and practice has diminished in comparison to his or her genetics and unnatural scientific hyper-tinkering. Part of it is that every athlete puts in the time now. Dedication is admirable, but now ubiquitous at the highest levels. Some are blessed with natural advantages from birth (O2 burning capacity, height, bone structure, etc.) which can no more proudly root for than discriminate against. For many, Steph Curry has revived the nearly-dead belief that putting in the time can make one the best skilled at his or her sport. It will be actually be a shame when all NBA players invest the same amount of practice, and the remaining differences in performance will be due either to genes that weren't earned, or drugs and cheating. That would be the end of the actual purpose of sport.
1
The solution is: Make races less inhumanly grueling forcing competitors to seek "help." Change the rules so riders can win with wit as well as brawn and rely less on pre-determined tactics radio'ed by the coach.
3
These little motors are able to assist a rider with a boost of 60 to 200 watts, which is just enough to stay in a race without getting dropped. An ingenious yet sad development.
Since this stuff trickles down, now we sit and wait for the Cat 5 and Cat 4s to use them.
May I ask the simple question: What is the purpose of even competing?
Since this stuff trickles down, now we sit and wait for the Cat 5 and Cat 4s to use them.
May I ask the simple question: What is the purpose of even competing?
5
If you're a domestique in the Tour de France, you're not really competing. You're toting water and blocking the wind for the one or two guys on your team who are competing in the GC or sprint categories. You're basically an extension of the team car. Yes, there is the team competition but no one remembers who won the team competition more than five minutes after the race and no one cares. If a motor is going to save you some butt-hurt on an otherwise boring grind up Alpe d'Huez it has to be at least a little bit tempting.
2
'the rider was not named by the program and could not be identified'', well actually the rider is indirectly but clearly identify.
He finished 4th of the Stradde Bianche according to the Fr. journalist if you watch the video. Big name too ..
He finished 4th of the Stradde Bianche according to the Fr. journalist if you watch the video. Big name too ..
2
We have our own issue in the United States. The biggest bicycle makers are working to get e-bikes on what were once nonmotorized trails. It's causing enormous controversy among mountain bikers, as it jeopardizes access for human-powered mountain bikers.
The industry got California to legalize lower-powered e-bikes on state and local trails as of Jan. 1, 2016 (see Cal. Veh. Code, §§ 312.5, 21207.5(b) (2016)).
Recently, I mountain-biked an 11-mile loop with 2210 feet of climbing in central California. I consider this one of the more difficult places I ride. I encountered a middle-aged lady with an e-bike at the parking lot and later on the trails. I asked what prompted her to buy it. She said she's using it to keep up with her husband.
I saw her climb one trail at a pace that would be respectable in the top category of amateur women mountain bike racers. She told me her husband had conked out on the climb and was waiting for her below.
Earlier, though, she had told me the motor on this 45-pound e-bike made only a modest difference in her climbing ability. She also told me she’s a century cyclist on the road (i.e., a fit recreational cyclist but not a racer) and has little mountain biking experience.
Watching her climb the trail was startling, especially given that she was clueless about how much help the motor was giving her. At one point she mentioned that the bike had four power modes, including “turbo,” but seemed not be aware of the degree of the power advantage.
The industry got California to legalize lower-powered e-bikes on state and local trails as of Jan. 1, 2016 (see Cal. Veh. Code, §§ 312.5, 21207.5(b) (2016)).
Recently, I mountain-biked an 11-mile loop with 2210 feet of climbing in central California. I consider this one of the more difficult places I ride. I encountered a middle-aged lady with an e-bike at the parking lot and later on the trails. I asked what prompted her to buy it. She said she's using it to keep up with her husband.
I saw her climb one trail at a pace that would be respectable in the top category of amateur women mountain bike racers. She told me her husband had conked out on the climb and was waiting for her below.
Earlier, though, she had told me the motor on this 45-pound e-bike made only a modest difference in her climbing ability. She also told me she’s a century cyclist on the road (i.e., a fit recreational cyclist but not a racer) and has little mountain biking experience.
Watching her climb the trail was startling, especially given that she was clueless about how much help the motor was giving her. At one point she mentioned that the bike had four power modes, including “turbo,” but seemed not be aware of the degree of the power advantage.
5
It's an even scarier proposition on a paved urban/suburban trail, primarily on weekends when slow riders, walkers, runners and families are prevalent. The average speed for "weekenders" is about 10 mph. An e-bike can do close to 20. A dangerous situation indeed. The roadies tearing it up on the trails on weekends are harrowing enough (this roadie keeps it in the street). Imagine the addition of a fleet of e-bikes to the mix.
3
As a long-time recumbent cyclist I've never understood why any type of human-powered vehicle wouldn't be allowed in professional racing. In 1934 the UCI outlawed recumbents because a French recumbent cyclist, Francis Faure broke several speed records. Why is the diamond-frame the only type of hpv permitted?
6
Why not cork bats for baseball? Helium-filled basketballs made of Silly Putty? Race cars with jet engines borrowed from military aircraft? How about using cars against bikes or horses against dogs? Why can't bikes use fairings?
Keeping to a standard means there is somewhat of an equipment equality to the race, which means it comes down more to the athletes than do what they use mechanically.
Keeping to a standard means there is somewhat of an equipment equality to the race, which means it comes down more to the athletes than do what they use mechanically.
4
There is something in modern culture that has no limit. "If it can be done, it will be done!" No matter what it is. This is so out of place in a world where limits are ever more obvious.
The cost of such an ethos is that all competition eventually becomes corrupt (horse racing, boxing, tennis, track and field, etc.) or destructive (football played with helmets that are used as weapons, rather than protection, upon the heads of players who are too big and too fast, too strong, and too violent for their own good). Competition in sports should be fun and not a Darth Vader-like pursuit of total domination.
I've ridden bikes all my life and enjoy the thrill of it, even though my wheels are always funky and unfashionably obsolete. There is joy when I ride, but there is no joy in cheating. Shame on these uber-competitive types. You cannot "win at all costs" in anything you do, by definition!
The cost of such an ethos is that all competition eventually becomes corrupt (horse racing, boxing, tennis, track and field, etc.) or destructive (football played with helmets that are used as weapons, rather than protection, upon the heads of players who are too big and too fast, too strong, and too violent for their own good). Competition in sports should be fun and not a Darth Vader-like pursuit of total domination.
I've ridden bikes all my life and enjoy the thrill of it, even though my wheels are always funky and unfashionably obsolete. There is joy when I ride, but there is no joy in cheating. Shame on these uber-competitive types. You cannot "win at all costs" in anything you do, by definition!
1
Is there ANY sport where cheating isn't a factor--or daresay, unthinkable? Elite tennis, triathlons, baseball juicers like A-Rod, Bonds, McGwire (among many others), not to mention many Olympic sports. Let's not forget "inflate-gate" with Tom Brady and the Patriots.
How do these athletes sleep at night--let alone interact w/their fellow sportsmen and women? Pathetic.
How do these athletes sleep at night--let alone interact w/their fellow sportsmen and women? Pathetic.
2
I have no interest in following sports be they professional or amateur.
I could not care less about any of the participants or the teams. It is a waste of time for the NY Times to cover them and it is a waste of time for people to watch them.
If you want to play a sport then go play it. Otherwise the best thing we can do to end the corruption that seems to go hand and hand with sporting competitions it to ignore them.
I could not care less about any of the participants or the teams. It is a waste of time for the NY Times to cover them and it is a waste of time for people to watch them.
If you want to play a sport then go play it. Otherwise the best thing we can do to end the corruption that seems to go hand and hand with sporting competitions it to ignore them.
5
If the Times didn't cover this story and others, you would be wasting your time following sports.
I sued to think it was ridiculous for people to watch so-called professional wresting because the outcome is always rigged, and everyone knows it. But people don't watch wresting to see who wins, that watch it for the spectacle, too.
Its the same with cycling. It isn't as if cyclists who race aren't suffering, they don't wear drab clothes, they have great looking physiques, and doped or motorized or not, there is a struggle among the riders to do well. That counts as much as for who wins and overrides concerns about cheating.
And cycling organizations at the higher levels go after cheaters in ways other sports do not.
I sued to think it was ridiculous for people to watch so-called professional wresting because the outcome is always rigged, and everyone knows it. But people don't watch wresting to see who wins, that watch it for the spectacle, too.
Its the same with cycling. It isn't as if cyclists who race aren't suffering, they don't wear drab clothes, they have great looking physiques, and doped or motorized or not, there is a struggle among the riders to do well. That counts as much as for who wins and overrides concerns about cheating.
And cycling organizations at the higher levels go after cheaters in ways other sports do not.
Yes, cycling has its problems, but at least they're being discussed and people are trying to fix them.
I'm still waiting on the front page article about juicing in baseball or football. These sports are rotten to the core but it seems nobody has any interest in bringing that to the public. Perhaps it would be too damaging to the national psyche to expose the sordid underbellies of these sacred cows.
Meanwhile continue beating on a niche sport which, while it has its problems, is at least trying to do something about it.
I'm still waiting on the front page article about juicing in baseball or football. These sports are rotten to the core but it seems nobody has any interest in bringing that to the public. Perhaps it would be too damaging to the national psyche to expose the sordid underbellies of these sacred cows.
Meanwhile continue beating on a niche sport which, while it has its problems, is at least trying to do something about it.
7
Agree with Chris Anderson, outfit all the riders with the same bikes and make this about the riders ability and not technology.
3
Millions of fans around the world love technology and cycling technology in particular. It is in the DNA of the sport. It keeps riders and fans and sponsors interested in the sport, too.
Beyond that, having the same bike would do nothing to preclude cheating.
Beyond that, having the same bike would do nothing to preclude cheating.
1
Just to clarify what may not be readily apparent from reading the article: There was one case of motor doping (Femke Van den Dreissche) which was confirmed by taking the bike apart. This bike was never actually ridden on the course, but was in the pit (which qualifies it as use in competition). However, there has been no other confirmed case of motor doping otherwise (and none in road events). The thermal imaging, videos of spinning wheels, only raise suspicion. Those cases were never followed up and found to be confirmed cases of motor doping.
Personally, I think that it would not occur in professional road racing as riders know that it would immediately end their career, even in the absence of UCI regulations. The reason that the team sponsors (who often supply the bikes) would never tolerate it and would immediately sue the rider and pull their sponsorship. In the case of drugs, it is not always possible to conclusively determine when someone has been doping. However in the case of motor doping, you can just remove the seat post and you have confirmation.
Personally, I think that it would not occur in professional road racing as riders know that it would immediately end their career, even in the absence of UCI regulations. The reason that the team sponsors (who often supply the bikes) would never tolerate it and would immediately sue the rider and pull their sponsorship. In the case of drugs, it is not always possible to conclusively determine when someone has been doping. However in the case of motor doping, you can just remove the seat post and you have confirmation.
2
Cheating kind of takes away the fun out of competing, doesn't it? What kind of person get a thrill out of winning by cheating?
2
The kind of person who deposits a few millions dollars in their bank account for a number of years.
1
Why don't these cyclists take up golf?
It's perfect for people who no longer have any athletic ability.
Plus they can drink and smoke while they are playing it.
It's perfect for people who no longer have any athletic ability.
Plus they can drink and smoke while they are playing it.
5
I find the comments that it is too difficult to police cheating in this way comical. If the FIA and other ruling bodies can control motorsport which are orders of magnitude more complex than bicycles, it can be done here. You set rules about who has access to the bikes after they are checked (i.e. Parc ferme as in F1) or tamper seals on the hardware. Finally, you fine the teams and their sponsors that are found guilty. And by fine I mean real money, Team Mclaren was fined $100 million when they were found guilty of a spying episode back in 2007.
If the U.C.I. can't stop the cheating then I can only conclude they don't really want it bad enough, i.e. they are culpable.
If the U.C.I. can't stop the cheating then I can only conclude they don't really want it bad enough, i.e. they are culpable.
3
Where there's money there will be cheating. Like smoking, drinking, gambling and drugs, some people just can't help but cheat. I think the bikes of the top finishers should be completely disassembled after a contest before any winners are announced. One thing is certain in all races, competitors in last place positions are the least likely to have cheated.
1
Competitors in last place are quite likely to cheat, given they know they wouldn't be in a particular sporting event if they didn't cheat to make the team or the cut.
1
It's always individual sports where the individual only has themselves to rely on that cheating seems more prevalent than team games. Although I'm struggling to understand how a tiny motor can provide much assist? I can understand athletes doping where tenths of a second can be the difference between winning and losing.
I still don't get the whole cheating thing. How can you hold your head high and look people in the eye knowing you've cheated? Somewhere you've got to doubt your own ability.
I still don't get the whole cheating thing. How can you hold your head high and look people in the eye knowing you've cheated? Somewhere you've got to doubt your own ability.
1
What's wrong with integrating more technology into existing products. Carbon fiber bikes have better rebound than aluminium bikes making biking easier on uneven surfaces. Prosthetic blades makes legs longer and lighter for runners and is fully endorsed by the Olympics. Carb load and nutritional supplements alters body chemistry to make body lasts longer.
The motor adds weight and cannot power the entire race on its own. The skill should be when to use the motor and when to conserve power no differently than when to change tire on a F1 race.
BTW, NASCAR means low tech. No other automobile race would allow such rudimentary vehicles in the race.
The motor adds weight and cannot power the entire race on its own. The skill should be when to use the motor and when to conserve power no differently than when to change tire on a F1 race.
BTW, NASCAR means low tech. No other automobile race would allow such rudimentary vehicles in the race.
2
Cycling only makes the news when there's cheating (or suspected cheating.)
5
Why would someone who wanted to continue cycling after they were incapable pay $11,000 for an assist device? They can buy a much more efficient motor scooter for less than half that amount.
How can they call it bicycle racing when some of them are riding mopeds?
5
Cycling needs to clean up massively and start over from scratch. Between this issue and the deeply engrained culture of doping, I'm not sure I've ever seen a sport so riddled from top to bottom by cheating. Enough.
2
To the list of cheating, let's be sure to understand this:
The latest revelations about illegal drugs in US sports as reported by Al Jazeera before being recanted by a "source", actually came from statements made to an undercover reporter posing as an athlete wanting to buy drugs - NYTimes, April 16, page B8 - "Nurse's Role Draws Interest in Doping Investigation". Named were top American athletes Peyton Manning and Ryan Howard. The nurse committed suicide just before the story came out, while her partner was still trying to sell the service to the undercover reporter as though she were still alive to write the prescriptions. This is another scandal that should blow up but will probably be covered up.
The latest revelations about illegal drugs in US sports as reported by Al Jazeera before being recanted by a "source", actually came from statements made to an undercover reporter posing as an athlete wanting to buy drugs - NYTimes, April 16, page B8 - "Nurse's Role Draws Interest in Doping Investigation". Named were top American athletes Peyton Manning and Ryan Howard. The nurse committed suicide just before the story came out, while her partner was still trying to sell the service to the undercover reporter as though she were still alive to write the prescriptions. This is another scandal that should blow up but will probably be covered up.
6
Interesting story.
Now, about HGH and steroids in the NFL... NYT never reports on it, so it must not exist. Must be that cycling is the only sport with rule breakers.
Now, about HGH and steroids in the NFL... NYT never reports on it, so it must not exist. Must be that cycling is the only sport with rule breakers.
4
Instead of adding power to the wheels, could the battery power be used to cool the rider? This may help on long rides in hot weather. It is not 'performance' enhancing, just a comfort accessory, like a cushioned seat.
1
This is just sad, but your article the other day about the cheating marathoner was worse. At least these folks are completing courses.
1
It's almost as if pro cyclists spend all of their time devising ways to cheat instead of training.
1
"It's almost as if pro cyclists spend all of their time devising ways to cheat instead of training. "
I think it's more like they (or their teams) hire people to figure out the cheating while the riders are out training.
I think it's more like they (or their teams) hire people to figure out the cheating while the riders are out training.
4
Inasmuch as every rider has a corporate sponsor, why not make the sponsor responsible for any infraction of the rules? Penalize it, deny it a sponsorship for a considerable time and publicize the fault. And deny all the riders on the team for five years. Once the penalty is greater than the prize, people will comply.
4
I spent my teens and most of my 20s as a competitive cyclist, eventually becoming a Category 2 able to knock out the occasional race win before realizing I'd never turn pro and getting on with my life. Cycling is the most grueling of any sport; even riding at a high amateur level required a seven-days-a-week commitment, sometimes up to eight hours a day on the bike, and I visited the ER more times than I can remember due to the inevitable crashes. Now, though I have the latest and greatest bike, I can barely bring myself to ride. I've had a taste of what it takes to be the best, and knowing that most of the heroes of my youth were cheats--and that cheating is still pervasive, and likely always will be due to the merciless nature of the sport--makes me feel betrayed and disgusted. I feel like I sacrificed some of the best years of my life chasing a stupid, sleazy lie.
51
But you did it for yourself, not any of your false "heroes". Your achievement has honor and merit. You were true to yourself. Go for a ride and leave that baggage behind. Best to you.
9
"have the latest and greatest bike, I can barely bring myself to ride"
You're not racing, yet you don't ride. Send me your bike, please. Actually, don't bother, I raced a little, long ago, I have a super-bike and I still love riding.
You're not racing, yet you don't ride. Send me your bike, please. Actually, don't bother, I raced a little, long ago, I have a super-bike and I still love riding.
1
Thank you, Slann.
1
Can't they x-ray the bikes for batteries and motors? I like the old fashioned motor combination of espresso and sugar.
1
I have given up watching almost all professional sports. There is too much money and money corrupts participants at all levels. The idea that skill would be a dominant factor contributing to victory has become quaint in some circles.
5
Friction in a wheel hub can create heat, especially when riding on gravel roads where the chance for dirt, dust and debris to enter the housing would be higher than on pavement -
Likewise new electronic drivetrain components have batteries, cables, switches and solenoids that can heat up under use -
Finally, thermal imaging cameras are sensitive and require expertise and calibration - otherwise the measurements are wrong and misleading -
But NFL players have human growth hormone sent to their wives without a prescription and anything else is an invasion of privacy
Likewise new electronic drivetrain components have batteries, cables, switches and solenoids that can heat up under use -
Finally, thermal imaging cameras are sensitive and require expertise and calibration - otherwise the measurements are wrong and misleading -
But NFL players have human growth hormone sent to their wives without a prescription and anything else is an invasion of privacy
2
Cheating and yet still feeling good about oneself is the ultimate feeling of entitlement.
2
I have no experience in competitive bicycling either as a participant or fan.
Is it possible that the courses are simply too difficult for an athlete who wishes to sustain their health? Is there a need for race courses to be reconsidered and more sustainably athletic challenges chosen for riders, who are, after all, only flesh and blood?
Can someone tell me what, if anything, I am missing here?
Is it possible that the courses are simply too difficult for an athlete who wishes to sustain their health? Is there a need for race courses to be reconsidered and more sustainably athletic challenges chosen for riders, who are, after all, only flesh and blood?
Can someone tell me what, if anything, I am missing here?
This article would be much better with a better description or even photos showing what they are talking about. If the motor is engaged using hand controls on the grips, for example, how hard can that be to identify? And how exactly do these tiny motors work? It seems like any motor with enough power and mechanical parts to turn a cycle's wheel would be far too big to fix into anything on a bike. Again, some visuals would improve this story (which I read only on the mobile version).
4
Where there is competition (and some kind of significant "reward") there will always be cheating. It's just "who we are" as a species.
Society "good examples" could moderate that, to a substantial degree. But...not many of those around nowadays.
And, as our world gets more and more crowded, and competition for *everything* grows more intense, the most likely path is that cheating will get much worse.
What to do? Not sure.
Society "good examples" could moderate that, to a substantial degree. But...not many of those around nowadays.
And, as our world gets more and more crowded, and competition for *everything* grows more intense, the most likely path is that cheating will get much worse.
What to do? Not sure.
To me thermal imaging seems a really bad way to test for this as friction also generates heat, so maybe the rider with the glowing rear hub just has a bad bearing and is actually at a disadvantage! 100% visual inspection before/afer the race is the easiest...pop off the seat tube, shine a light down and look for the motor or wires...these devices are not microscopic...in order to store enough energy to actually make a difference to a rider, the batteries can't be too small.
2
This makes no sense.
If there were some who used this device you would assume the winner would have used this device as a competitor without this device could not go as fast or as far.
They would not have to check every bike
Just the one.
I have seen bikes with motors that must be much larger than this one which do not make a bike o very fast.
It is hard to believe a motor exist that is so small it can't be detected can have the kind of power this article suggest.
If this motor in fact does exist I can think of better ways to use it.
They can use it for example to run a artificial heart or kidney.
The fact thy don't tells me this technology does not exist.
If there were some who used this device you would assume the winner would have used this device as a competitor without this device could not go as fast or as far.
They would not have to check every bike
Just the one.
I have seen bikes with motors that must be much larger than this one which do not make a bike o very fast.
It is hard to believe a motor exist that is so small it can't be detected can have the kind of power this article suggest.
If this motor in fact does exist I can think of better ways to use it.
They can use it for example to run a artificial heart or kidney.
The fact thy don't tells me this technology does not exist.
Oh for God sakes, can we just do away with competitive cycling once and for all? I mean what's the point? The endless cheating, scheming, and conniving. It's just ridiculous what these riders do to "win".
4
Wow, where can I get one of these hidden motors, not for racing but just peddling to the local beyond walking distance pub? Motorized bicycles are still illegal in NYS, even thought every delivery persons seems to have one anyway.
4
Good Lord. Is this a sport, or a technology gone berzerk?
Are the trappings of cycling victory worth all of the drugs and needles and carbon fibers and wind tunnel tests and inquests and unannounced body fluid draws and organized corruption and law enforcement and shame and trophies?
Really - is the business of cycling and the result of winning so great that we are willing to sacrifice our souls to embed tiny motors which can't provide more than a fraction of a watt - to give this minute edge?
I know that in the early days of the TdF, the cyclists would stop at local bistros and slug down bottles of wine before hitting the trail. Is this just how we do it now?
I love cycling, because I love to bike, personally. I used to think I liked following people who sacrificed to actually be good at this sport.
But it looks like this is more like a contest of mechanical, electrical, and biomedical engineering than a human sport. If so - let's just call it that. Let's just lift all the rules. Dope until your blood is as thick as 10W40, put solar powered motors on your bike. Do whatever you want to win.
The rest of us will be enjoying a spring day, gliding through a field of sunflowers, or through the sunlit streets of Manhattan, enjoying the intoxication of increasing our speed and reach by modifying the human form with one of the simplest machines ever invented.
Are the trappings of cycling victory worth all of the drugs and needles and carbon fibers and wind tunnel tests and inquests and unannounced body fluid draws and organized corruption and law enforcement and shame and trophies?
Really - is the business of cycling and the result of winning so great that we are willing to sacrifice our souls to embed tiny motors which can't provide more than a fraction of a watt - to give this minute edge?
I know that in the early days of the TdF, the cyclists would stop at local bistros and slug down bottles of wine before hitting the trail. Is this just how we do it now?
I love cycling, because I love to bike, personally. I used to think I liked following people who sacrificed to actually be good at this sport.
But it looks like this is more like a contest of mechanical, electrical, and biomedical engineering than a human sport. If so - let's just call it that. Let's just lift all the rules. Dope until your blood is as thick as 10W40, put solar powered motors on your bike. Do whatever you want to win.
The rest of us will be enjoying a spring day, gliding through a field of sunflowers, or through the sunlit streets of Manhattan, enjoying the intoxication of increasing our speed and reach by modifying the human form with one of the simplest machines ever invented.
18
Approx 200 bikers in normal Tour de France - 1st day at least. How difficult to inspect 200 bikes the night before any stage, keep the bikes locked up till just before stage starts, and then give to riders? One bike - one rider. No switching bike during race. If bike breaks down during race, OK to substitute another bike but require inspection of that bike immediately after stage ends.
4
Even that is not necessary. Motorsports all over the world deal with technical inspections simpler than this by many orders of magnitude. It is not a hard problem to solve, at least at the professional level.
All podium finishers will have their bikes inspected immediately post-race ( or stage, where necessary ). In addition, randomly pull x% of bikes from the field for inspection. That will take care of the problem completely, as long as the penalties are stiff enough that no one can chance getting caught.
This, or something similar, is standard operating practice for almost all races where motors are actually allowed, but far more intricate and precise investigations must be carried out. Why cycling sanctioning bodies are so completely clueless, I cannot explain.
All podium finishers will have their bikes inspected immediately post-race ( or stage, where necessary ). In addition, randomly pull x% of bikes from the field for inspection. That will take care of the problem completely, as long as the penalties are stiff enough that no one can chance getting caught.
This, or something similar, is standard operating practice for almost all races where motors are actually allowed, but far more intricate and precise investigations must be carried out. Why cycling sanctioning bodies are so completely clueless, I cannot explain.
You want to take cheating out of sports? Start by taking the money out. If there's no financial incentive to win there will be no incentive to cheat. So let's start by reducing the pay received by athletes to teachers.
10
fyi, many professional cyclists, the domestiques, earn less than teachers.
4
Unless you take competition out of the sport and just give everyone a prize there will be incentives to win. I love competitive sports. Trust but verify.
Mon dieu!, as the French say.
The thing that ticks me off more than anything else with cheating in professional cycling, or any other sport for that matter, even more than the money these these people get as a result of their cheating, is that these "athletes" are paraded around (literally, a lot of the time) as paragons of virtue and achievement--role models for our youngsters to imitate.
Let's hope not!
The thing that ticks me off more than anything else with cheating in professional cycling, or any other sport for that matter, even more than the money these these people get as a result of their cheating, is that these "athletes" are paraded around (literally, a lot of the time) as paragons of virtue and achievement--role models for our youngsters to imitate.
Let's hope not!
10
cyclists are paraded around as icons? ummmm, baseball, football? no sport played in the usa tests as many athletes as often as cycling. the pressure to use ped's for football and baseball starts in HS. lets focus on cleaning that up
3
I'm guessing,the ones most likely to use this are most likely to not win,without them.So,they probably feel,if caught,they can just quit,like the woman in this article.
1
Between the doping and now this, Cycling has permanently lost my interest.
5
This seems so different and so much more pernicious than doping.
Is there any other sport where cheating is this rampant?
1
ALL sports, is the quick answer. The reason cycling gets a the notoriety is that the previous International governing body's administration worked so hard to catch the cheaters. Most sports just try to keep it quiet.
8
helloooo? baseball and football much more rampant now. you just dont know about it because the testing is minimal at best. peds, steroids, pine tar, corked bats, spitballs, the list goes on and on. at least cycling is actively testing and now uses a biological passport where blood and urine levels are tracked historically. any significant fluctuations are flagged and tested. and 1st offense for cycling is 2 year suspension. what are the penalties for football and baseball? 1st offense and they cant even release athletes name to press. thank you players unions.
4
The size and speed of football players is prima facie evidence that they are probably all doped to the gills, if not with outright anabolic steroids anymore than with other stuff to allow them to train rigorously enough to come out as ripped and with the endurance that they do.
3
Cyling must be the most corrupt sport ever. There seems to be no end to the amount of scandal involving it.
4
There's doping, now motors and what else?
Baseball is full of dopers. And pitchers doctor balls, hitters use illegal bats. Look at American football players - they're doped. And they deflate balls. Golfers dope so they can hit the ball farther. And so on.
Baseball is full of dopers. And pitchers doctor balls, hitters use illegal bats. Look at American football players - they're doped. And they deflate balls. Golfers dope so they can hit the ball farther. And so on.
3
Apparently spoken by someone by someone who's never watched Olympic figure skating.
2
I have been fan of bicycle racing for over 30 years and an aging racer myself for the last 15. I was on the finish line in Paris when Greg LeMond was the first American to win the Tour de France. I enthusiastically followed Lance Armstrong's ascent (and backed him for far too long). I have defended cycling, saying its doping reputation is because it is catching dopers unlike most other sports that aren't even trying. But this story -- already covered in the cycling press -- makes me question if it is worth being a fan. Each sport develops its own culture of what is and isn't allowed. It's ok in baseball to pretend you caught a ball you trapped, but in golf you better call it on yourself if you accidentally move your ball. I am beginning to think the cycling culture is sick -- that cheating has just become so embedded in it that it will never be removed. The athletes themselves will decide what is and isn't permitted. They know who's cheating, but for too long there has been a culture of silence. If that doesn't end, the sport will eventually lose its fan base until it won't even be worth it to cheat to win.
8
Doping in cycling was legal until the 60s when a British pro cyclist died, Then the rules were just there for show. It has only been since just before Lance was caught that there was a concerted effort to punish the cheaters.
Now, there is possibly an effort by the latest cycling administration to control it and cover it up.
Now, there is possibly an effort by the latest cycling administration to control it and cover it up.
3
Is anyone not cheating???
2
Cycles cost thousands and some cost $100. I cannot imagine anyone winning a competitive race with a $100 bike. If you truly want to level the playing field. Let all the bikers use just one type of bike. To give biking companies a chance, change the bike to a different company every year. When you commercialize the race, you are bound to tempt companies/bikers to get the extra "edge" in the race.
8
It's time to just hand over all racing to robots: bicycles, cars, boats, Olympic track. Machines race. Humans place bets.
1
I've ridden an e-assist bike recreationally for over fifteen years, so know a bit about the technology. The hidden systems almost always require the batteries to be stashed in the downtube; this ought to be a very simple thing to check for in a pre-race inspection. There must be some sort of inexpensive device to check for the energy fields batteries emit. This isn't rocket science.
8
Batteries do not emit "energy fields", at least those known to science. If anything, a motor or its controls, when in actual use, could broadcast, but the very simplest shielding would make it undetectable.
1
There is nothing like overtaking cyclists (particularly when you are in your late fifties and they are in their twenties and thirties) on a steep slope and nodding at them like saying: keep going kids. Going uphill is like having your soul naked, you give it all you have. Now if you rely on a hidden motor, you take the rush out of it.
20
New Age 'Star Trek Transformers' are changing the face of cycling.
Athletes are vanishing and reappearing bike and all hundreds of feet from where they were only a millisecond before. Said, Jacques Du Run,"No one was there and then they were."
Athletes are vanishing and reappearing bike and all hundreds of feet from where they were only a millisecond before. Said, Jacques Du Run,"No one was there and then they were."
1
Why not just drive a car? Cars are faster, more comfortable, less stressful, drier in bad weather and safer than outdoor bicycling. How would this be different, ethically, than blood-doping or motor-rigging? I'll admit that it would be harder to avoid getting caught.
Hey, public transport worked for Rosie Ruiz. Why not cars for the Tour de Lance?
www.endthemadnessnow.org
Hey, public transport worked for Rosie Ruiz. Why not cars for the Tour de Lance?
www.endthemadnessnow.org
3
They already have that. It is called LeMans.
It seems impossible for a cyclist to do this without the support of his or her team infrastructure. I think the team itself should be the focus of any punishment -- especially the team management, such as coaches. The only way this will be stopped is if there is a credible threat of loss of ability to compete to an entire team when a cyclist is caught.
8
To paraphrase Winston Churchill, the cheating is so vicious because the stakes are so low.
3
How far we've fallen from Grantland Rice's, “It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game.” This sentiment, which summarized fair play, and was the overriding philosophy in sports - and life - for decades, has long since been supplanted by another famous quote: "Winning isn't everything...it's the ONLY thing", by Vince Lombardi. With this as their motto, millions of athletes, pros and amateurs alike, as well as non-athletes, justify using any advantage in their quest to win. And a quote by Joe Montana that once might have been taken as a joke: "If you ain't cheatin', you ain't tryin'", now further erodes any taboo against cheating.
But the worst part of all of this, is how this philosophy has been instilled in millions of young athletes who have been brought up to believe that the ends justify the means. Is it any wonder our systems are so broken?
But the worst part of all of this, is how this philosophy has been instilled in millions of young athletes who have been brought up to believe that the ends justify the means. Is it any wonder our systems are so broken?
31
I really don't get the media's fascination with sports cheating. Yes, it is unfortunate, unsporting, and reveals the lack of integrity by some individuals.
However, this is a small-fry issue in a big money world. You don't think the Wall Streeters have been cheating the system of rules and regulations for decades using technology? They have cheated we the people and the US out of trillions of dollars over the past twenty years.
I love to watch pro cycling and would give my right arm to spend a month in France with my wife enjoying the Good Life and watching the Tour. Whether or not some riders may be cheating is nothing new and does not detract from the overall enjoyment of the spectacle.
However, this is a small-fry issue in a big money world. You don't think the Wall Streeters have been cheating the system of rules and regulations for decades using technology? They have cheated we the people and the US out of trillions of dollars over the past twenty years.
I love to watch pro cycling and would give my right arm to spend a month in France with my wife enjoying the Good Life and watching the Tour. Whether or not some riders may be cheating is nothing new and does not detract from the overall enjoyment of the spectacle.
5
So agree with you. Enjoy it! It is wonderful to watch. So much more fun to watch than the other big three sports here in the US (Baseball, Football, and Basketball). Just wish it was easier to watch as it is in Europe.
Scared yet? Well if, like me, you're a semi-serious amateur triathlete or endurance bike racer, be aware that your next weekend race may well include a motor doper. People are shelling out big bucks to save precious minutes (see, $5K to $10K bikes routinely lined up in transition areas). Concerns about PED's impacting the amateur ranks have long been rumored. If the same, essentially dishonest, athletes will risk their own health for a podium position or bragging rights, a little motor concealed in the frame, sadly, is a no-brainer.
Anecdotally, in a tri race last season, with one of the toughest bike legs around, some guy weighing north of 200 cruised by on the longest uphill portion like he was on chaise lounge. I pride myself on climbing, but with little apparent effort, no grunting like the rest of us, no sweat pouring off his chin, Hercules literally breezed past us all. Looking back now, the only explanation was he had some help - of the motorized variety.
If amateurs are pulling this stunt, pro organizers better be scared. The sport probably can't survive another round of dopers.
Anecdotally, in a tri race last season, with one of the toughest bike legs around, some guy weighing north of 200 cruised by on the longest uphill portion like he was on chaise lounge. I pride myself on climbing, but with little apparent effort, no grunting like the rest of us, no sweat pouring off his chin, Hercules literally breezed past us all. Looking back now, the only explanation was he had some help - of the motorized variety.
If amateurs are pulling this stunt, pro organizers better be scared. The sport probably can't survive another round of dopers.
16
What is it about cycling that seems to lend itself to wholesale cheating? Be it chemical or mechanical, no means of circumventing the rules escapes this community. And rather than policing itself, a wink, wink, nod, nod mentality permeates the sport. It's as if the fact that everyone knows everyone else is doing it somehow validates the behaviors. Cheating is so systemic and so pervasive, that at some point you have to question whether, as a sport, it is any longer legitimate.
8
Cheating has been pervasive in cycling since the 1950s (at least). Anquetil admitted doping (but he was never caught), even Eddie Merckx got caught a few times.
That sport has never been clean.
That sport has never been clean.
1
I think your comments are 180 degrees wrong. Cycling is the premier sport going after cheaters.
Doping in baseball is endemic. Corked bats and doctored balls go back to the beginning of the game. Look at football players, on both the college and pro level, who are obviously doing something different than the rest of us with their bodies. Track and field stars have cheated for decades.
For that matter, horses are regularly doped.
What other pro sport so rigorously tests athletes than cycling? None.
Doping in baseball is endemic. Corked bats and doctored balls go back to the beginning of the game. Look at football players, on both the college and pro level, who are obviously doing something different than the rest of us with their bodies. Track and field stars have cheated for decades.
For that matter, horses are regularly doped.
What other pro sport so rigorously tests athletes than cycling? None.
2
It's the premier sport for going after cheaters because there are so many cheaters figuring our new and different ways to cheat. Further, rationalizing bad behavior in one sport by citing bad behavior in others does not make for a particularly strong argument.
At this point they really should give them all the exact same bikes to ride, perhaps $300 commuters. That should both make it more interesting and even out at least one aspect of the playing field.
34
Good idea, but.
The bike companies naturally are among the leading sponsors of the pro races. Tons of visibility for their bikes, and more if their team or guys win. See Michael Jordan and sneakers example.
Perhaps have all bikes (starting and replacement bikes) subject to pre- and psot-race inspection. Pre-race, all fitted with a coded tag/RFID device. Race officials track bicycles until race completed. DQ for any violations.
Now as to amateur races???
The bike companies naturally are among the leading sponsors of the pro races. Tons of visibility for their bikes, and more if their team or guys win. See Michael Jordan and sneakers example.
Perhaps have all bikes (starting and replacement bikes) subject to pre- and psot-race inspection. Pre-race, all fitted with a coded tag/RFID device. Race officials track bicycles until race completed. DQ for any violations.
Now as to amateur races???
1
Silly, but funny.
Great idea. Have a field of bikes that are randomly assigned to riders just before the race.
It will be interesting to see if "mechanical doping" catches on in professional bike racing. I suspect not. Doping in the past has gone on in large part because the cyclists themselves accepted it as semi-legitimate part of the sport; something not very different from physical training and diet. (I remember when Pedro Delgato tested positive for a masking agent during the 1989 Tour de France and UCI was trying to decide whether to suspend him. The rest of the tour went on strike, *in support of Delgato*. In the end, Delgato was allowed to continue, and he won the Tour. That made it clear for me how pervasive doping was.) I can't see a conspiracy of silence building up around mechanical doping.
3
I think this would only make sense in flat course races. Energy density in batteries is still too low to make this energy/weight tradeoff a benefit in hilly terrain. (A first take without benefit of calculation!).
1
Use standard, non-individualized bikes. As much as these riders (or their sponsors) spend on their bikes, let them pay a fee to use a bike from a common pool of racing bikes. Yes, it takes away the relationship between rider and bike (like using a random bat in baseball), but everybody's got the same set of wheels in any given race.
6
The evidence presented in the source article is very weak. The only image that is unambiguous has been staged -it is not a bike being ridden by a professional cyclist in a race but a bike known to have a motor. The remainder of images used in the story as evidence of "mechanical doping" show temperature gradients around crank and wheel bearings. If there is any friction at those bearings (there always is some small amount) then there will be a temperature gradient.
4
This sport has become an embarrassment.
8
The sport for cheaters. Maybe the competition should be about who is the best cheater? Most innovative?
5
May the best pharmacist/mechanical engineer win!
How about everybody gets to ride an identical bicycle assigned at random at the start of the race? That should take care of the problem.
6
A la "Breaking Away".... give them a Roadmaster one speed.
1
UCI could solve this problem by getting rid of the 15-lb. minimum weight limit, which has been rendered obsolete by improvements in carbon composite construction.
Pro riders consistently put out 450-600 watts, and every gram is accounted for. There is no motor/battery combination light enough to be worth its weight climbing l'Alpe de Huez, with a rider in top physical condition on an ultralight carbon bike.
Pro riders consistently put out 450-600 watts, and every gram is accounted for. There is no motor/battery combination light enough to be worth its weight climbing l'Alpe de Huez, with a rider in top physical condition on an ultralight carbon bike.
5
From sometime around 1970, I remember a clever and well-drawn mechanical cross-section in a newsletter showing the compressed air storage and motor system housed in the lower frame, with a little piston operating on the crank and storing air in the very suitable frame tubes. It was a joke, of course, but storing (downhill) energy one way or another for use uphill has occurred to more than four-wheel EV designers. I even built an electric one to plane the rolling hills of Maryland.
I do have to agree with those who reject the thermal imaging detection method, even if it is cheap and easy. Pro cyclists generate a lot of power, and small frictional issues in the drivetrain would confuse an imager.
On the other hand, or wheel, why not just allow energy storage and use as another improvement in the speed and efficiency of a bicycle? For almost the first time since the 1890's bicycles, which gave us impetus for paved roads, pneumatic tires, tubular steel and ball bearings, might have wider technological benefits. Doping is stupid, better bikes are great.
I do have to agree with those who reject the thermal imaging detection method, even if it is cheap and easy. Pro cyclists generate a lot of power, and small frictional issues in the drivetrain would confuse an imager.
On the other hand, or wheel, why not just allow energy storage and use as another improvement in the speed and efficiency of a bicycle? For almost the first time since the 1890's bicycles, which gave us impetus for paved roads, pneumatic tires, tubular steel and ball bearings, might have wider technological benefits. Doping is stupid, better bikes are great.
3
To compare this biking thermal imaging video to the Zapruder movie of the killing of JFK is over the top. Are there no editors at the NYT?
4
Well, sometimes I think some people take great delight in feeling outraged, in which case the dishonest cyclists are doing them a favour. Outrage over the ad hoc system for the distribution of capital that advantages few and disadvantages many - as noted by MD, that seems like something both to get outraged over and to figure out a constructive response. In far too many cases, life is a very steep climb and there is a hidden motor at work - e.g. the invisible hand of monopolies in league with politicians and the media - only the motor is running in reverse. And we have so many spectators saying if they only pedaled harder they too would make it to the top and be winners!
25
If a professional cyclist averages 250 watts over a four-hour race, and the hub assist produces 25 watts, the effect would validate the sports writer's claim. "XXX is renowned for her ability to step up and give 110% when she is behind."
5
In this world it is hard to believe the winners (in sports, business, government, etc.) aren't also cheats in some way. Is the lesson that you can achieve anything you want as long as you cheat (and don't get caught) a goal to strive for? Those who can live with it demonstrate a lack of conscience and disregard for everyone else.
11
Sportsmanship is cheating without getting caught. Anyone who thinks it is some higher form of ethical contest is ignoring the truth. Most sports are made up of two main groups; those who are caught cheating and those who haven't been caught yet. How many times do people have to see the tearful news conference of the athlete admitting cheating after years of denial. I'm sure there are a lot of athletes who are competing without evading the rules, but they don't have a chance to be the greatest of the sport against those who cheat.
6
Sad - but it should be easily fixable. An X-ray of the winning bikes will reveal any motors.
7
I wish the Times had shown a picture of such a motor. Hard to imagine anything small enough to be "invisible" giving the rider much assistance. And batteries add weight on bikes that cost many thousands in order to be as light as possible. Could have used more technology in this news piece.
11
Does anyone care about cycling? I can understand riding a bike for exercise, but to make a sport out of that has always seemed silly to me.
4
The Tour de France has been run since 1903 and cycling is second only to soccer in popularity as a spectator sport in Europe.
4
As opposed to running, or swimming, or speed skating, or horse racing, or sailing...Need I go on?
4
It's easy to answer your question by Googling "professional cycling," watching the Tour de France on network TV, picking up a sporting magazine anywhere in Europe, or looking around you at packs of Lycra-clad cyclists training.
But the answer is "Yes, people do care about cycling." And in any activity with the potential to make people care, there is money to be made. When there is money to be made, people will try to draw the shortest line between themselves and that money. There may be human endeavors in which cheating does not occur, but from chess to basketball to banking to standardized testing to marriage to driving the speed limit... people cheat.
But the answer is "Yes, people do care about cycling." And in any activity with the potential to make people care, there is money to be made. When there is money to be made, people will try to draw the shortest line between themselves and that money. There may be human endeavors in which cheating does not occur, but from chess to basketball to banking to standardized testing to marriage to driving the speed limit... people cheat.
Why not just get rid of the rules and let competitors put into their bikes and themselves whatever they wish? After all, people still watch wrestling,
10
Cycling, (just like futbol, baseball, tennis) has been corrupted by the money flowing through the sport. Maybe it is time to shut down cycling as pro sport and just leave it to amateur enthusiasts.
3
The first person caught was a Belgian female cyclocross racer. No money in that. In the stories last year about the number of distance runners cheating in marathons by cutting the course, the cheaters were often middle-age unranked runners who just wanted to place well in their age group. It seems it doesn't take much in terms of the stakes to induce at least a few people to cheat. And at the pro level once a few cheat--and get away with it--everyone feels they have to cheat as well.
6
Those are preposterous statements w/o merit, heinous acts of that sort are uncalled for in today's peloton, where the greatest athletes of all indulge themselves in acts of war for sheer release of dopamine..
2
Why does anyone still watch/follow this "sport"?
2
Why do people watch any sport? Even when the competitors aren't cheating the the judges or referees are. The winner is the cheater who doesn't get caught.
1
Umm, yes, quite a few, actually.
Because we like it?
What ever happen to the thrill of victory? There is no thrill in cheating. Ask Lance.
2
How are people still surprised??? There is significant money at stake and these athletes are performing for their livelihoods. As long as there have been sports, there has been cheating.
My junior high school lacrosse coach, a former all american, routinely said "it's not cheating if the ref doesn't see it." That may not have been good sportsmanship but it was a realistic view of the game, especially on how to defend yourself from the other team.
My junior high school lacrosse coach, a former all american, routinely said "it's not cheating if the ref doesn't see it." That may not have been good sportsmanship but it was a realistic view of the game, especially on how to defend yourself from the other team.
2
Lance is living like a king and enjoying his "dirty" millions in Texas.
Somehow this bothers me more than performance-enhancing drugs. Maybe that's because I know that there is no drug known to science that would enable me to compete in the Tour de France. Give me a bike that I don't actually have to work to pedal, on the other hand . . .
4
None of this makes any technical sense. The amount of battery to support any amount of hill climbing or acceleration would not be practical or be able to be disguised. The motor power would help but not for very long and then the rider has the added weight and some drag, even with a clutch allowing it it be disengaged. Maybe for sprints it might be useful, in some disguisable form but much of this is overblown. 120mi a day, seems normal on this big races and battery capacity might give you 2mi max on the flats, on a steep climb, it might be .5mi, not much of an advantage.
.5 mi or 2 mi advantage is massive if it is the right .5 mi or 2 mi.
You don't need it everywhere, just in the just the right spot.
You don't need it everywhere, just in the just the right spot.
1
True, compared with the power output of a cyclist, but we're talking about that fraction of a percent that often is crucial, and that would be a small and light component, used only in strategic circumstances. Races are won by very small differentials.
The motors are run by batteries. Scanning the bike for electrical impulses would be way more effective and conclusive then heat image.
It relatively easy to contain and thus hide electrical noise. Not so much heat or an abnormal interaction with an external magnetic field.
1
Incredible. Is there any sport that more readily reveals the character of its participants and adherents, the vast majority of whom are white males of European extraction, than cycling?
These are the guys who brought the world slavery, environmental exploitation, female subjugation, the battle tank, nuclear weapons, etc., ad nauseam. Is anyone surprised that they would try to cheat at cycling through the technical advantage of battery assistance?
Cheating to gain advantage is part and parcel of the supposedly civilized Western soul. I wonder how many bike riders go on to become investment bankers. I bet it's a lot.
These are the guys who brought the world slavery, environmental exploitation, female subjugation, the battle tank, nuclear weapons, etc., ad nauseam. Is anyone surprised that they would try to cheat at cycling through the technical advantage of battery assistance?
Cheating to gain advantage is part and parcel of the supposedly civilized Western soul. I wonder how many bike riders go on to become investment bankers. I bet it's a lot.
2
Have you heard of the Mayans, Mongols or Egyptians? There has been slavery, human subjugation and environmental exploitation for as long as there have been people. Ditto cheating. It just sounds naive not to acknowledge this and then decide how to proceed from that starting point.
11
Trust a Times reader to turn a simple story about cheating in sports into a commentary about "white males of European extraction." And just for the record, in case you didn't actually read the story, the only person who has actually been caught so far is a young female.
4
Wow, a bit off subject, don't you think? Bikers to investment bankers! Voting for Bernie?
2
"Anyone can buy systems that hide small motors and batteries inside bikes. Marketed as a way to help older or infirm people keep cycling, most of the systems power the axle that joins the two crank arms of the bike and are outwardly invisible, with on-off switches hidden under handlebar tape."
So it's not really about enhancing one's physical performance in cycling at all; it's really just about cheating. Seems like such a complete waste of a person's effort and skills. I guess it can get you out-of-doors, though.
The part being alluded to connecting the crank arms is a "spindle," not an "axle." Spindles spin; axles are fixed.
So it's not really about enhancing one's physical performance in cycling at all; it's really just about cheating. Seems like such a complete waste of a person's effort and skills. I guess it can get you out-of-doors, though.
The part being alluded to connecting the crank arms is a "spindle," not an "axle." Spindles spin; axles are fixed.
4
Actually, it's you--and cycling custom--that have it backwards. The "bottom bracket" "spindle" is more properly described as an "axle".
Fret not. The bicycle, is the only (?) place a rotating piece is sometimes a spindle; it's an axle or a shaft in everything else. For example, an auto has axles that rotate with the drive wheels, but 'spindles' for stationary ones! Similar usage oddities in 'bearings' versus 'bushings'. And a 'bottom bracket' wouldn't be called such in some other application. Not as annoying as a certain newspaper's science guy thinking that gyroscopic forces hold bikes up!
Aren't advances in technology great? $28,000 is pretty pricy for a hard to detect system, but it must be cheaper that paying for doping, and, unless you are completely stupid, you never fail a urine test. Maybe, there is a way to combine the two? Armstrong almost got away with doping for a very long time.
1
I guess many who cheat, with these motors or other enhancing modi, justify doing so by the claim that they must because it is the only way that they can be competitive with the others who are cheating. So there is still glory in cheating if it gives victory over the other cheaters.
3
Why does anyone care about a failed sport?
7
Failed? How so?
4
I was once an ardent fan of cycle racing. Those days are long gone. It's a corrupt sport and the will to fix it seems to be flatter than a deflated tube. I still love cycling, but racing. Nope.
9
There are still many individuals who would take Lance Armstrong's word over that of Greg Lemond, so it does not surprise me that some would turn a blind eye to this new form of technology for cheating.
Cycling is now widely regarded by the American general public as the sport of underachievers who are prone to cheat. So sad.
Cycling is now widely regarded by the American general public as the sport of underachievers who are prone to cheat. So sad.
5
So who or what is actually competing in these races - the athlete or the equipment? That's the question that the sport's organizers have to answer. That's not a snark question. In horse racing, for example, it's the "equipment" (i.e., the horse) that is really being tested, the jockey is more or less interchangeable. Apply that concept to bike racing, and by all means, let the fastest bike win.
On the other hand, if the idea is really to test the athletes, then take the equipment completely out of the equation. On race day, the riders are all handed identical, randomly selected bikes. Then you will find out who is actually the best rider.
On the other hand, if the idea is really to test the athletes, then take the equipment completely out of the equation. On race day, the riders are all handed identical, randomly selected bikes. Then you will find out who is actually the best rider.
9
You expect this sport to heal itself? Follow the money. Just as the NFL only allows whatever changes increases viewers; and professional hockey allows more fights; and professional basketball allows more steps; so too will biking do or allow whatever it takes to increase viewership and sponsorship.
The penalty for cheating should be greater than the benefit. As the winning cyclists cross the finish line there is an immediate blood test and complete inspections of the bikes. All before the Winner’s Platform, where the victor has their picture taken and the sponsors’ names promptly displayed. Cheaters must be permanently banned from the sport. Otherwise I’ll no longer watch these motorcycle races.
The penalty for cheating should be greater than the benefit. As the winning cyclists cross the finish line there is an immediate blood test and complete inspections of the bikes. All before the Winner’s Platform, where the victor has their picture taken and the sponsors’ names promptly displayed. Cheaters must be permanently banned from the sport. Otherwise I’ll no longer watch these motorcycle races.
2
Although not perfect, hockey has mainly eliminated fighting. No more brawls, very few teams retain 'enforcers' now and the game is faster than ever. Still very dangerous.
Football (american) is the most drug laced sport imaginable.
Football (american) is the most drug laced sport imaginable.
3
If you have ever driven the Tour de France course in a car, or any other extreme cycling race course, or better yet, have ridden your bike on sections of them, you will know firsthand how difficult these races have become. I have done both. I believe if the race organizers stop making the course so difficult, there will be less cheating. Even the elite riders can't finish these races on certain days.
Then again, perhaps they have always been cheating, it's only in recent years they have the drugs, the equipment and brashness, to believe they will never be caught. We know otherwise.
Then again, perhaps they have always been cheating, it's only in recent years they have the drugs, the equipment and brashness, to believe they will never be caught. We know otherwise.
14
There was a time when use of multiple gears on a racing bicycle was considered an unmanly cheat....
Just because the bicycle is an amazing and wonderful coupling of man and machine, it is still a machine, and making it better and faster isn't an evil thing. One might as well say, as some auto racing does, that minimum weight has to be enforced, negating advance in that area, or frictional and aerodynamic improvements are ruled out. At that point, the sport is done.
Just because the bicycle is an amazing and wonderful coupling of man and machine, it is still a machine, and making it better and faster isn't an evil thing. One might as well say, as some auto racing does, that minimum weight has to be enforced, negating advance in that area, or frictional and aerodynamic improvements are ruled out. At that point, the sport is done.
1
"I believe if the race organizers stop making the course so difficult, there will be less cheating." Huh? So, marathons should become 10K's because they are easier to run? 10K's should become 5Ks . . . all the way down to 100 meters, where no cheating has ever occurred? Of course there has always been cheating! That's why we need police, accountants, fences, locks, etc. How can you possibly not get this?
1
You are suggesting that the TdF is harder now than it was in the far earlier years?
This should be easy to detect by checking for the presence of an electric field, even when the bike is stationary.
7
Race bikes now have electric push-button shifting, though I'm not positive if electric shifters are legal at the highest levels. Anyone know?
Almost every pro cyclist - in Europe - uses electronic shifting and it is legal.
Electronic shifting and cycle computer sensors (both very common) would make this complicated. The IR camera looks like a solid solution
I just purchased an ebike for commuting downtown and the technology is amazing! The 250W motor is enough to power the bike up to 30 mph with little effort. I never imagined that this technology would be used by professional cyclists. I hope they figure out how to detect the motors because its game over for the sport if they don't!
4
Time to shut this "sport" down.
If sponsors are going to do what they did with drug doping and turn a blind eye to it for a decade and then take another decade to do something about it what's the point?
The French and Spanish will be disappointed if the "sport" disappears. The rest of us will be glad no longer even to think about it.
If sponsors are going to do what they did with drug doping and turn a blind eye to it for a decade and then take another decade to do something about it what's the point?
The French and Spanish will be disappointed if the "sport" disappears. The rest of us will be glad no longer even to think about it.
2
Why do you think cycling is different that baseball or U.S. football or soccer or any other sport, where we know cheating is rampant? Cycling has the most active anti-doping program, which is why you know cyclists cheat.
1
Exactly time to shut down the NFL. The amount of cheating is pervasive. On some level the people must accept it because for some reason people still watch it.
The Onion sold yellow wrist bracelets imprinted with "Cheat to Win" when Lance was racing. I hope they saved the molds.
A great story, but in no way is this "doping." Eager to connect this technological cheating or fraud to the epidemic of PEDs, you have hastily adopted the wrong word.
2
These kind of reports are worthless and designed to sell magazines only. This is just one more form of cheating that the UCI is not probably too keen on detecting, since it prefers the image of a clean sport that they have been cleaning up for years. Frankly, the drugs that are considered legal are in themselves performance enhancing, such as those used for asthma, so they should be correcting this kind of issue first, since it is right in front of their nose.
1
It's a shame, but I think this is the first mention I have seen of "ebikes" in the Times.
They aren't just for cheating anymore!
I commute daily on one, and they have really come to a point of practicality in the past few years. I love commuting on mine, and it costs me less than $0.01 per mile. When I pass younger folks who are obviously in better shape going up hills, it's obvious how much difference a little electricity can make.
Wish I could afford some of the technology these pros are using to cheap, I am sure it is light-years beyond what is available in the public market!
They aren't just for cheating anymore!
I commute daily on one, and they have really come to a point of practicality in the past few years. I love commuting on mine, and it costs me less than $0.01 per mile. When I pass younger folks who are obviously in better shape going up hills, it's obvious how much difference a little electricity can make.
Wish I could afford some of the technology these pros are using to cheap, I am sure it is light-years beyond what is available in the public market!
8
Racing, whether auto, airplane or boat, sometimes yields advances that eventually benefit consumer products. Most racing is about energy efficiency, which is a new engineering creed. Although incorrect, it is sometimes said that disc brakes, now universal, came from auto racing, but certainly engineering for light, strong structures, increased thermal efficiency from engines, and advances in materials can appear in competition.
I'm all for cyclists to help pave, so to speak, the way forward!
I'm all for cyclists to help pave, so to speak, the way forward!
Funny, I have been thinking the same thing all morning. Maybe there should be an open class ebike circuit. You know, like a steroid Olympics, so these riders will have a place to go after they get kicked out of cycling and mainly so we can enjoy their engineering successes.
In all seriousness, I would love to see some of this technology up close and personal. I'll bet it is amazing. I find the design and fit and finish on some of the newest ebikes (like the Specialized Turbo or the Stromer ST2) to be absolutely amazing.
I ride a Prodeco, which is definitely not the most refined ebike, but it is a wonderful commuter for me though and at a price average people could afford. I wonder if the Times needs an ebike journalist?
In all seriousness, I would love to see some of this technology up close and personal. I'll bet it is amazing. I find the design and fit and finish on some of the newest ebikes (like the Specialized Turbo or the Stromer ST2) to be absolutely amazing.
I ride a Prodeco, which is definitely not the most refined ebike, but it is a wonderful commuter for me though and at a price average people could afford. I wonder if the Times needs an ebike journalist?
I wonder when the lightweight quiet ones will be available for cheap - sign me up!
3
The outrage should not be about professionals at the peak of their sport trying to gain some edge to make more sponsorship dollars or about amateurs trying to do the same. These people are privileged enough to be able to have enough resources (free time & money) to train and do what they love.
The outrage should be about the record amount of adults who are too poor to have time for leisure activity/sports or even exercise at the most basic level to not die prematurely let alone have fun or become an athlete.
Can cyclists or endurance athletes in this forum mention how much time and money is spent simply on purchasing and preparing the large amount of quality food to have enough calories to burn and enough nutrients to recover properly?
Maybe talk about gear another time...
The outrage should be about the record amount of adults who are too poor to have time for leisure activity/sports or even exercise at the most basic level to not die prematurely let alone have fun or become an athlete.
Can cyclists or endurance athletes in this forum mention how much time and money is spent simply on purchasing and preparing the large amount of quality food to have enough calories to burn and enough nutrients to recover properly?
Maybe talk about gear another time...
15
That is a false syllogism; there should always be outrage that a portion of the population is too poor to engage in leisure activity. There should be disappointment that many people with time or money don't engage such activity. Neither means that we cannot care about this specific (and unrelated) issue.
7
Seriously? This same argument of "privilege" could be made about any interest/hobby that people do simply to enjoy and enrich their own lives. Enjoy reading non-fiction books? Well that is something only the "privileged" have free time for! Enjoy painting....Enjoy aerobics...Enjoy cooking...
2
I agree. I admit it is rather the intensity of the response of certain individuals in such comment sections that I was really criticizing. The ability to even generate a sense of outrage and be so emphatic about one's positions about a topic such as doping in sports (especially if the angle is not the health of the athletes, the ONLY casualty) seems to show an assumption that "fairness" as a inviolable guiding principle is a concept that only applies to sports. I'd be curious to see a poll of nascar fans and their views on fairness in other (more meaningful) aspects of life such as... society!!
"Everyone starts with the same oppotunity!!"
"No unfair advantages!!"
"The rich teams win more, lets take that out of the equation"
"Intense, rigorous scrutiny and oversight in every aspect!!!!"
Who's the socialist now?
Marc
"Everyone starts with the same oppotunity!!"
"No unfair advantages!!"
"The rich teams win more, lets take that out of the equation"
"Intense, rigorous scrutiny and oversight in every aspect!!!!"
Who's the socialist now?
Marc
1
Mr. Varjas clearly developed the assist for cheating purposes. While small and light are crucial to bicycling, invisibility is only to for cheating. There's no need for it to be hidden if it's for training purposes. In fact, overt makes it CLEAR it's honest.
Unfortunately in our world today, too many people subscribe to the philosophy of one of Robert Ludlum's shadier unethical characters who asks "Why is cheating cheating?"
Unfortunately in our world today, too many people subscribe to the philosophy of one of Robert Ludlum's shadier unethical characters who asks "Why is cheating cheating?"
1
"Varjas said his system was nearly silent and light enough to keep a bike at the cycling union’s minimum weight."
How could an added motor be light enough to keep a bike at the minimum weight?
Surely, the report should say "...keep a bike below the cycling union's maximum weight." or similar.
How could an added motor be light enough to keep a bike at the minimum weight?
Surely, the report should say "...keep a bike below the cycling union's maximum weight." or similar.
2
"How could an added motor be light enough to keep a bike at the minimum weight?
Surely, the report should say "...keep a bike below the cycling union's maximum weight." or similar."
It was right the first time. Pro bikes can be a kilo or 2 below the minimum weight and require ballast to bring them back up to minimum, so the motor would just take the place of the ballast.
Surely, the report should say "...keep a bike below the cycling union's maximum weight." or similar."
It was right the first time. Pro bikes can be a kilo or 2 below the minimum weight and require ballast to bring them back up to minimum, so the motor would just take the place of the ballast.
1
Of course! That makes perfect sense; I can see it now.
Thanks APS.
Thanks APS.
1
In a sea of humanity an individual tries to stand out
The over population plague has engulfed the world.
For me the answer is to drop out,
I heard Timothy Leary speak in 68. He said turn on. tune in and drop out.
To hades with spectator sports, competition of any sort.
Quiet down and be content, look within and embrace simplicity.
Ancient advice that is always right.
The over population plague has engulfed the world.
For me the answer is to drop out,
I heard Timothy Leary speak in 68. He said turn on. tune in and drop out.
To hades with spectator sports, competition of any sort.
Quiet down and be content, look within and embrace simplicity.
Ancient advice that is always right.
2
This is what you get in a truly international sport... Competition at all cost.
Much nicer would be if all the cyclists were bought by a dozen rich folks riding in a limo. Then appoint a commissioner who will decide what doping is allowed (all) and who should be caught doping (some loudmouth athlete).
The media would write about an outlying exception with a happy ending.
Much nicer would be if all the cyclists were bought by a dozen rich folks riding in a limo. Then appoint a commissioner who will decide what doping is allowed (all) and who should be caught doping (some loudmouth athlete).
The media would write about an outlying exception with a happy ending.
1
Get your motor running. Head out on the highway. Looking for dinero. Or, whatever comes my way. Yeah, fandom. Gonna make it happen. Cheat my way to win this race. Jettison all my scruples at once. Explode them into space. Like a chemically altered child. I was born. Born to be vile. I can climb so high. My name will never die. Born to be vile. Born to be vile. Born to be vile.
6
This sport must lend itself to some very insecure people that need to "win" at any cost. I guess some people need to cheat, and as such, have a different definition of winning; A cheat's definition of winning is deceiving the public and his or her competitors, and getting away with it. So perhaps what cheats need is some kind of competition where winning is to be the ultimate cheat.
2
If you could scan the riders with a machine that would detect how much pride a rider possessed then you would not have to inspect the bicycles. I can not imagine the embarrassment of getting caught with a motor in my bicycle. That is just such a special kind of lameness that I can not get my head around.
1
A big part of auto & motorcycle racing is cheating, and not getting caught.And it's part of Horse Racing too. mechanically thru buzzers and with various drugs, but I am a bit surprised to see this in cycling.
1
One comment made reference to auto racing. In that sport "cheating" is what drives innovation. One innovator comes up with a technological change that gives him an advantage. After the sanctioning body, and everyone else gets over the advantage, an objective look is taken at the change and it is adopted, often influencing technology that filters down to passenger vehicles to improve them. There is too much hysteria over "cheating" in sports.
The physical advantage of steroids is another example of hysteria, in that, it has been noted that there is no medical evidence that there is physical harm to competitors' bodies, if the use is supervised by doctors. Let them be out in the open about the use and control it by mandating medical supervision. Maybe even split competition into "natural" and "enhanced".
The physical advantage of steroids is another example of hysteria, in that, it has been noted that there is no medical evidence that there is physical harm to competitors' bodies, if the use is supervised by doctors. Let them be out in the open about the use and control it by mandating medical supervision. Maybe even split competition into "natural" and "enhanced".
1
I want to get one of these bikes so my wife will want to ride with me and keep up! Maybe Trump should get one?
Oh my! Monetary reward and glory encourage cheating?! Surely cheating is confined to the world of bicycle racing! Surely no other sport, no other competitive endeavor, no other system where the spoils go mostly to the top 1% would encourage cheating. Surely the entire capitalist free market system is 100% honest and decent and the "winners" are winners because they deserve to rich beyond belief while the rest of us labor day by day in the trenches.
4
Well, if a pro rider wins a race, they immediately get tested for drugs, right? Just do the same thing for the bike, inspect it right after the race. If a rider knew the machine was going to be checked, why bother with a motor?
1
I live in downtown Manhattan and most of the delivery men have been using this system over the last few years. I get my take away 5-8 mins. faster than in the past. It's fantastic!
Here's a cure for this hyper idiocy - stop giving prize money for cycling races. If you win, you get a cup or a medal. The real problem in all of this is the money that people stand to make by winning.
2
There's very little prize money and most of it goes to your teammates, not the individual. Salaries are where the money is made.
The problem is not caused by prize money. The doping problem exists even in "amateur" sports like the Olympics.
As for pro bike racing, eliminating prize money would not solve the problem. By custom the winner of the Tour de France gives his prize money to his teammates to share. The real money comes to the winner from advertisers who put his name and picture all over their products.
As for pro bike racing, eliminating prize money would not solve the problem. By custom the winner of the Tour de France gives his prize money to his teammates to share. The real money comes to the winner from advertisers who put his name and picture all over their products.
I could see a team owner and mechanic conspiring to put one of these in a top rider's bike, activated automatically in such a way that the rider wasn't even aware of the subtle boost he was getting.
After the last round of doping, I said they should just award the yellow jersey to the guy riding the lead motorcycle carrying the camera man. Maybe not so tongue in cheek now...
After the last round of doping, I said they should just award the yellow jersey to the guy riding the lead motorcycle carrying the camera man. Maybe not so tongue in cheek now...
1
What is it with this sport!! It may be the only sport where cheating is mainstream. And while I'm at it, why is this sport even popular?? Have you ever seen one live? I have. You stand there for a long time waiting for the racers to approach you. When they arrive, you literally flash by in less than 20 seconds. And that's it. That's your race experience.
2
I don't see what's the bid deal. Tennis players have been doing just that with tennis racquets that make even the wimpish wimp blast a tennis ball 120mph. And it began with the Wilson T-2000. Ask Jimmy Connors, Nadal, etc....
Anyone who lives in NYC knows the shameful truth. The sad lazy people who are sequestered in their offices and apartments would rather have the sidewalks run over by people making less than minimum wage on electric motorcycles.
Why won't the cops stop delivery boys from using electric "bicycles" at Tour de France speeds? On the sidewalks no less.
Because that could possibly cause the gerbils in their awful little 600 sqft so called one bedroom apartments from doing something unthinkable. Getting of the couch and cooking dinner.
Why won't the cops stop delivery boys from using electric "bicycles" at Tour de France speeds? On the sidewalks no less.
Because that could possibly cause the gerbils in their awful little 600 sqft so called one bedroom apartments from doing something unthinkable. Getting of the couch and cooking dinner.
1
Well, a certain part of my life just got simpler. I am no longer interested in watching any professional (and many so-called amateur) sports. We have runners who dope, cyclists who dope, swimmers who take steroids, hockey and football players who OD on pain meds, the list just goes on and on. Olympic records and medals are meaningless as five years later you find out it was drug assisted.
It is enough for me to bike for my own pleasure, and kick a soccer ball around just for fun. Go hiking whenever I can. The best part is that I don't have to hear the yahoos chanting USA, USA, USA.
It is enough for me to bike for my own pleasure, and kick a soccer ball around just for fun. Go hiking whenever I can. The best part is that I don't have to hear the yahoos chanting USA, USA, USA.
5
The peloton just cannot resist the urge to cheat. 1st they dope, now electric motors. I just wonder who the ring leader is and is there going to be a big investigation and blame one person for all of the electric motor in the history of the tour and bike racing in general like they did lance.
Reminds me of a Gary Larson strip, where a cheetah laced on a pair of running shoes before pursuing a herd of antelope.
5
Let's just end bicycle races and have all the cyclists hop in a car and join NASCAR. They have no respect for the sport and only care about the win.
Shame
Shame
2
Where there is plenty of money aided by fame, there are always " n " ways of cheating. As such sport has become spoilsport for quite sometime.
Sad story about human failure. The pleasure of cycling -- for me, after a lifetime on a bike -- is about getting to Place B from Place A under your own steam. Isn't that what bike racing is supposed to imply? Winning this way is a hollow achievement made possible by a hollow frame.
Yes, an ingenious technology. What a promotion for the scoundrel inventor who has facilitated this scandal and who will get away without penalty.
How about a photo and diagram in the follow-up article? I'm having a hard time envisioning the device.
I know someone who put a motor on his bike. Type 2 diabetes, late in life, has weakened his legs. The motor has helped him keep riding. He loves it. I doubt it's an identical, stealth technology. There's a place for everything. Bike racing ain't the place.
Yes, an ingenious technology. What a promotion for the scoundrel inventor who has facilitated this scandal and who will get away without penalty.
How about a photo and diagram in the follow-up article? I'm having a hard time envisioning the device.
I know someone who put a motor on his bike. Type 2 diabetes, late in life, has weakened his legs. The motor has helped him keep riding. He loves it. I doubt it's an identical, stealth technology. There's a place for everything. Bike racing ain't the place.
2
"How about a photo and diagram in the follow-up article? I'm having a hard time envisioning the device."
Good picture of the crank-assist motor here:
http://www.salden.nl/nl/wilier-izoard-ltd-e-racefiets-met-trapondersteun...
its only 5k euro bike and all
Good picture of the crank-assist motor here:
http://www.salden.nl/nl/wilier-izoard-ltd-e-racefiets-met-trapondersteun...
its only 5k euro bike and all
3
One of the links in the article took me to the manufacturer, with photos and diagrams of the motor.
The sport has suffered by being recognized as the sport of cheaters. The more successful racers are simply perceived as the most clever cheaters.
What could be worse for any sport than to have the validity of the race results ridiculed and questioned? The honest participants themselves should be leading the efforts to police and clean-up the sport.
What could be worse for any sport than to have the validity of the race results ridiculed and questioned? The honest participants themselves should be leading the efforts to police and clean-up the sport.
7
Cheating is a strange thing to do. All the glory and surge of excitement that comes from winning would be tainted in the mind of the one person who matters most, the guy who cheated. Does the person who cheated then look out on the cheering crowds thinking, "Look at those fools. They think I am a hero, but I am not."
Is fake glory as good as real glory? It certainly brings rewards at the professional level: money, attention, and the attentions of the opposite sex. Perhaps all of this shows the ability of people to lie to themselves, convincing themselves that they are fully worthy of the attention and rewards that come from "winning".
I was recently told by a frequent golfer that amateurs cheat all the time on their score cards. I was a bit shocked because I thought golf was a game where honor came first. Someone who cheats at cycling, or even an amateur who just wants a boost up a hill, is actually cheating themselves out of the true experience of cycling.
Doug Terry
Is fake glory as good as real glory? It certainly brings rewards at the professional level: money, attention, and the attentions of the opposite sex. Perhaps all of this shows the ability of people to lie to themselves, convincing themselves that they are fully worthy of the attention and rewards that come from "winning".
I was recently told by a frequent golfer that amateurs cheat all the time on their score cards. I was a bit shocked because I thought golf was a game where honor came first. Someone who cheats at cycling, or even an amateur who just wants a boost up a hill, is actually cheating themselves out of the true experience of cycling.
Doug Terry
55
The amateur cheating in golf is usually reverse cheating - to produce a higher handicap. Many methods exist. For example, one can intentionally hit bad shots that don't change the outcome in the current game but increase their handicap in the future. especially in 'partner' events. Or they could simply not report a score at an out-of-the-way course, or use other methods. If you are playing with groups at your regular club, its tough to do, because they know your game and sandbaggers have a hard time getting games.
But if you are playing with people you don't know well, limit the bets to $2 nassaus.
But if you are playing with people you don't know well, limit the bets to $2 nassaus.
My guess is that it doesn't feel like cheating if you can convince yourself that everyone else is cheating too. And of course, in time, you'll probably be right.
I think they justify it by claiming everyone is doing it, so they're merely leveling the playing field. Certainly that was true in cycling with doping. As a famous cyclist said, "Do they expect us to ride the Tour de France on water?"
1
Motordoping? MOTOR-DOPING?
Another word to add to my dictionary. I don't believe it; I really don't.
Another word to add to my dictionary. I don't believe it; I really don't.
3
Let's bear in mind that, at this level, riders are really just poster boards for advertising.
How does someone like Lance Armstrong amass $100m? By selling space on his Jersey. And to whom? The Post Office paid Armstrong $32m. The Post Office, where I can no longer find a pen to write, as I wait half an hour on line.
There would be no need to cheat if the prize was kept somehow in proportion for being good at riding a bicycle.
And we close the circle with stories of his private life and his celebrity, most of which would bore us silly if he didn't have $100 million dollars.
Which it does, now that he doesn't any more
How does someone like Lance Armstrong amass $100m? By selling space on his Jersey. And to whom? The Post Office paid Armstrong $32m. The Post Office, where I can no longer find a pen to write, as I wait half an hour on line.
There would be no need to cheat if the prize was kept somehow in proportion for being good at riding a bicycle.
And we close the circle with stories of his private life and his celebrity, most of which would bore us silly if he didn't have $100 million dollars.
Which it does, now that he doesn't any more
2
I have an idea. Why don't those of us who support this, and other ridiculous sports where overpaid athletes receive way too much credit for riding a bike or throwing a ball or generally performing some other useless sport like-task- simply... stop... watching. If athletes can't agree to abide by the basic moral rules the vast majority of us live by every day- if they lie and cheat and bend rules to achieve notoriety.. what are we looking to them for? Stop watching. And while we're at it, perhaps we should ask why we idealize athletes over teachers, scientists, poets..
2
The problem is the money (which has become God in the world!) Reduce the prize money to little, and you will stop all the cheating!
1
Take all the bikes that will be used in a race and subject them to an electromagnetic pulse. They'll work mechanically just fine after. Any motors will be fried.
1
I no longer have any interest in watching or following professional bicycle racing with the pervasive and endemic cheating.
I have been riding bicycles for over 60 years, sometimes in challenging events, and I am deeply saddened. Perhaps pro cycling could model itself after the WWE so that there is no doubt of the charade being played upon its fans and other members of the public.
I have been riding bicycles for over 60 years, sometimes in challenging events, and I am deeply saddened. Perhaps pro cycling could model itself after the WWE so that there is no doubt of the charade being played upon its fans and other members of the public.
57
There is electric bicycle racing now. It is a bane to regular bicycle racing, but electric bicycles make for the best commuter vehicle. 10 time more efficient that the electric car. Only pennies to recharge and decent range for a bike. These are not motorcycles as the story implies. The motors are just to assist pedaling.
What's with all the cheating.
Everywhere?
Everywhere?
58
When was there a time when the world was a completely innocent place?
People have always looked for an edge. It's just that now they're getting caught.
People have always looked for an edge. It's just that now they're getting caught.
3
We put value on winning, from competitive sports to academics to business. We do not put much value on playing fairly or ethically. And we start teaching this warped value system to children at their earliest ages.
1
When fame or fortune at at stake many will bend the rules, others will break them.
It's human nature.
It's human nature.
1
Let's learn from motorcycle and auto racing - tear down and inspect top finishers. It would be a lot simpler for a bicycle than a motorcycle or auto engine. It you don't meet specs you are disqualified, that simple.
174
Can you be sure the finisher will be riding the offending bicycle and not another? Many bikes are used by a single rider. This is a shell game. Under which shell is the pea. Good luck.
2
I think they often change bikes through a race, flats etc. If you watch any 'the grand tours' there are many support cars with spare bikes on the roof. Checking the one they finish with may not help much, especially as just about everyone could see that happening and plan for it.
2
Good idea. The problem is that cyclists may legally change bikes more than once during a race so it would be easy to use one in a mountain stage, fake a mechanical problem and ride an unmodified bike to the finish line. Meanwhile, the team mechanic removes the motor from the original bike.
15
Bicyclists cheating? Now I can't sleep.
48
Maybe you should try doping? Just kidding.
“It’s a very strange market,” Varjas said. “No one will say they have this kind of bike.”
That's all the evidence you need right there.
That's all the evidence you need right there.
40
There should be a prize awarded to the most innovative cheater each year. Not run of the mill stuff, like taking drugs, but truly innovative things like this. Imagine the degree of effort it took to invent the technology that makes these nearly invisible motors work!
47
that is pretty funny. MOst inventive cheat. It's a sad story when you cannot trust any individual or any sport these days.
my wife would love one of these
11
So would I. *grin*
1
While still expensive, ebikes are becoming popular among recreational cyclists. You can purchase one from one of the major retailers (I think Trek and Raleigh both offer some models), or you can purchase an after market motor that goes in the bottom bracket.
That's not cool
The thermal image seems to me to show nothing. The color around the hub seems as close if not similar to the color of the tyres, and not nearly as intense as the thigh muscles of the biker.
If indeed people are doping their bikes the authorities are going to have to come up with some valid evidence which would not be difficult. The extra weight of battery and motor may actually not make it much more dope over the long haul anyway.
If indeed people are doping their bikes the authorities are going to have to come up with some valid evidence which would not be difficult. The extra weight of battery and motor may actually not make it much more dope over the long haul anyway.
6
Tires (and thighs) are expected to be hot - but not the hub, which is - normally - superbly designed for minimum friction. Thermal imaging has the added advantage of being deployed during the race, before the cyclist has a chance to swap out the "dirty" bike for a clean one.
1
The tires are warm from friction with the road which explains the thermal imprint. However, there's likely no good reason for the rear hub to have a similar image unless it has a motor. Regarding weight, the article notes that the newer system is quite light and nearly silent.
Out of the way, "Blood Doping"!
"Bike Doping" is here!
All that is needed to resolve this "problem", is to use a portable industrial x-ray machine - the type of equipment that is used to check aircraft parts for flaws, on the bikes of the winners.
Either there is weird equipment in the tubes of the bikes, or there isn't.
Problem solved.
If the "sport" of bike racing doesn't want to go along with this, it will become obvious to everyone, that we are really watching "Two Wheeled Professional Wrestling" zip down the road.
"Bike Doping" is here!
All that is needed to resolve this "problem", is to use a portable industrial x-ray machine - the type of equipment that is used to check aircraft parts for flaws, on the bikes of the winners.
Either there is weird equipment in the tubes of the bikes, or there isn't.
Problem solved.
If the "sport" of bike racing doesn't want to go along with this, it will become obvious to everyone, that we are really watching "Two Wheeled Professional Wrestling" zip down the road.
26
Millions of people enjoy "pro" wrestling. We enjoy novels and suspend disbelief when we watch movies, including the movie "The Wrestler."
A tiny motor on a bike? The rider should get the award for best innovation.
You know, this is further proof that human beings are way down at the bottom of the ladder for life on Earth; that we're interested in a bunch of cheaters, riding bikes.
To confirm that humans are insane, were sending athletes, and their fans, from the four corners of the world to Brazil for the Olympics, where, not only is cheating raised to an art form, but Brazil is in the throes of the Zika virus epidemic. So all of the folks who get infected this summer can go home and contribute to a global pandemic.
And we thought the Dodo was stupid.
You know, this is further proof that human beings are way down at the bottom of the ladder for life on Earth; that we're interested in a bunch of cheaters, riding bikes.
To confirm that humans are insane, were sending athletes, and their fans, from the four corners of the world to Brazil for the Olympics, where, not only is cheating raised to an art form, but Brazil is in the throes of the Zika virus epidemic. So all of the folks who get infected this summer can go home and contribute to a global pandemic.
And we thought the Dodo was stupid.
159
"Your Honor", I feel your analysis is right on point.
Would you care to assist me in speculating which of the "Non-Two-Legged" creatures will replace Us-Dooming-Ourselves-to-Extinction species?
May I suggest merely throwing darts?
Would you care to assist me in speculating which of the "Non-Two-Legged" creatures will replace Us-Dooming-Ourselves-to-Extinction species?
May I suggest merely throwing darts?
The dodo bird wasn't stupid...it was just slow to recognize peril.
I don’t see how anyone returning home could spread Zika. You have to be bitten by the mosquito to get it. It’s not contagious and not many female athletes are considering pregnancy I presume. There is Guillain-Barre syndrome, but that’s not contagious either (although the flu can be), but that’s a separate thing from Zika.
Thermal imaging will only work if the motor is being used at the time. You do not need a magnet, you just energize the field which create a magnetic field.
Some of the newer high end bikes have electric shifters. they are made by Shimano and Campagnolo. They have not been approved for the tour yet. They are very accurate and adjust for the chain angle. They also are used with 22 speed gear sets, down from 30 speed sets. or groupos. They weigh less also. The battery is usually in the down tube under the seat. The newer Specialized bikes have them, they run in the $5000 to $11,000 range depending on the model. The Specialized Roubaix SL4 sells for about $5200.
Some of the newer high end bikes have electric shifters. they are made by Shimano and Campagnolo. They have not been approved for the tour yet. They are very accurate and adjust for the chain angle. They also are used with 22 speed gear sets, down from 30 speed sets. or groupos. They weigh less also. The battery is usually in the down tube under the seat. The newer Specialized bikes have them, they run in the $5000 to $11,000 range depending on the model. The Specialized Roubaix SL4 sells for about $5200.
8
"Some of the newer high end bikes have electric shifters. they are made by Shimano and Campagnolo. They have not been approved for the tour yet. "
All the pros have used electronic shifting for years.
All the pros have used electronic shifting for years.
16
"22 Speed" is actually an 11-speed cassette, up from the 10-speed cassette, which you labeled "30-speed." If someone wanted to pair a 11-speed cassette with a triple chainring, it would yield a "33-speed" drivetrain. However, racers do not use triple chainrings because the added weight does not justify increased gear combinations.
1
Specialized has no such bike.
The decision by the _Corriere della Sera_ to station only a thermal camera which could not identify the cyclist is intriguing. I would think it would have cost very little additional to position a regular camera along with it and so identify the bike/rider. Different libel laws I suppose?
Trying to read the linked article via google translate, it seems the video stills came from "disguised thermal cameras from the public broadcaster France Télévisions shooting equipment" -- so, difference decision maker, but still an interesting choice. I suppose whatever housing they used to hide the Flir wasn't accommodating.
Trying to read the linked article via google translate, it seems the video stills came from "disguised thermal cameras from the public broadcaster France Télévisions shooting equipment" -- so, difference decision maker, but still an interesting choice. I suppose whatever housing they used to hide the Flir wasn't accommodating.
2
How hard is it to inspect the bikes before each day's racing? There are imaging systems that can see through any material used in bicycle tubing.
66
Part of the issue is that each team has not only the bikes that the riders are currently on, but also a team van with spare bikes. The riders often experience mechanical issues, and rather than fix them just swap out for an entire new bike.
As each team is alone in their team vans for several hours during the day's race, there would be plenty of time to make modifications after the inspection.
As each team is alone in their team vans for several hours during the day's race, there would be plenty of time to make modifications after the inspection.
9
That is purely a technical problem that can be dealt with. An examined cycle could be afixed with seals that cannot be removed or tampered with without being destroyed. Same for spares. All that's missing is the will to clean up the sport.
Or just the people in the MONEY... You cross the finish line and your bike goes in for detailed inspection....
Varjas says it's a strange market in that people don't admit they have this kind of bike. Uh, just like steroids and celebrity plastic surgery?
The idea that at team uses a $30k system just to train is ludicrous. Next thing, they'll be introducing a new version that thwarts all the detection approaches, for an additional $15k.
That said, I'm glad this technology is being developed. I rode a friend's assist bike in Kyoto, just a family bike with a child seat. It was great. I plan to get an electric bike at some point in the not too distant future, and hopefully there will be technological trickle-down.
But the idea that these bike systems that are hidden are anything other than a cheater's paradise is crazy.
The idea that at team uses a $30k system just to train is ludicrous. Next thing, they'll be introducing a new version that thwarts all the detection approaches, for an additional $15k.
That said, I'm glad this technology is being developed. I rode a friend's assist bike in Kyoto, just a family bike with a child seat. It was great. I plan to get an electric bike at some point in the not too distant future, and hopefully there will be technological trickle-down.
But the idea that these bike systems that are hidden are anything other than a cheater's paradise is crazy.
5
Your link goes to a 19-minute clip. The entire Stade 2 piece, reported by Thierry Vildary, is on YouTube at channel "CH TV" and is 24 minutes in 2 parts. Basically it ends with the inventor Varjas showing his earlier, heavier, non-electromagnetic assist from circa 1998, whose efficacy depends on "a high pedaling cadence". Then back to the studio for some innuendo. What was kind of strange is that the reporters ventured to Budapest to visit the inventor and get his show-and-tell, yet they didn't bother with a test drive of the bike equipped with the super-expensive electromagnetic rear wheel. Instead, we see Contador's mechanic, his Bluetooth wristband and antics.
1
The real market for these motors should be with non-racers, customizing bikes to the rider's physical abilities. Ordinary riders could depend on their bikes to go further and keep riding to an older age. And once you get into mass production the prices will come way down.
46
I see these poor old widows here in Japan who could really use that assist to get their groceries home up the hill.
1
Cycling is a great idea if you live in a big city or maybe a blue state. Taxes are kept low in many red states, such as SC, by having narrow roads with no shoulders or sidewalks. Cyclists must ride in the lanes of traffic. As the bikes are much smaller than cars, the cyclists are hard to see. I can't think of a single serious rider that I know who hasn't been in an accident.
2
This is so true. I've had an electric-assist Faraday bicycle for more than a year, and it makes bicycling way, way, way more fun and practical than it was on a regular bike. I hope to keep riding into my 80s. And there's no downside.
1
I understand the need to showcase the newest innovation, and products in bicycle racing. At the same time, at the very least there should a separate open division that allows for industry innovation, but why not a steel bicycle classic?
I am not sure why they have not standardized a single generic bicycle (aside from sizing geometry) for some higher profile races. Steel frame, same metallurgy, same weight, same spec on hubs, cranks, chains, cassettes, derailleur, and so on.
I guess we have to ask, are we focusing squarely on athleticism, or the relationship between man and machine?
I am not sure why they have not standardized a single generic bicycle (aside from sizing geometry) for some higher profile races. Steel frame, same metallurgy, same weight, same spec on hubs, cranks, chains, cassettes, derailleur, and so on.
I guess we have to ask, are we focusing squarely on athleticism, or the relationship between man and machine?
7
Check out the Eroica races which have strict specifications for classic bikes that can enter the field. It's not good enough to have a 1983 Colnago - it also has to have the correct setup for the brake cables.
IIRC, the Tour de France wanted to try requiring a standard bike but the outcry from the teams was such that the idea never got past the talking stage.
1
Competitivee innovation drives bike sales, and bike sales help support the sport. Without innovation and competition, we wouldn't have the amazing and wonderful range of bikes available to anyone and everyone.
All the pro bikes do weigh about the same and they are all about the same quality. So there's no need to standardize and good reasons all around not to. Standardizing on bikes wouldn't preclude cheating, anyway.
All the pro bikes do weigh about the same and they are all about the same quality. So there's no need to standardize and good reasons all around not to. Standardizing on bikes wouldn't preclude cheating, anyway.
I love it! bike racing is magnificently boring, so anything to make the sport more "colorful" is fine by me, including Lance Armstrong, doping, corrupt leadership, as if sport is suppose to be "fair" and similar to the car racing issue, everyone is looking for an edge.
7
You have a point - there's not much of a story in bike racing without all of this. So it's all about who is cheating, how and are they doing it with sufficient flare to gain an audience?
" But he added that he believed that some kinds of carbon fiber, the material used to make pro bikes, could render the technology invisible to the cycling union’s new screening devices."
Varjas system uses rare earth (powerful) magnets
Carbon is non-magnetic.
How hard is it to use a magnet to find a magnet?
Varjas system uses rare earth (powerful) magnets
Carbon is non-magnetic.
How hard is it to use a magnet to find a magnet?
18
Why is golf the only sport where cheating is not part of the game? Or maybe it is and we haven't found out about the motor accelerators in the golf club heads.
9
More people cheat at golf than all other sports combined.
50
There are golf balls out there with optimized dimples. Search for the Polara.
5
Golf is a game, like pool. "Sport" requires physical athleticism.
21
As soon as one cycling scandal is over[or so it seems] another one emerges
as sports corruption continues to dominate many sports.
as sports corruption continues to dominate many sports.
10
What scandals besides doping have caught the attention of cyclists and fans? None.
1
Is the desire to work n these days do great that there was s no sense of fair play and sportsmanship anymore? It is truly tragic.
6
.
well, the beauty of a 'positive' result is that it is UNAMBIGUOUS
compared with traditional blood doping, where a positive result 'tends' to support the conclusion that the athlete is doping
here, either there is a motor, or there is not
simply penalty; eject / ban the rider for 1 year minimum, and keep the bike on display, as a trophy
fughedabout "Use a Gun, go to Prison"
instead
"Use a Motor, it's all Over"
.
well, the beauty of a 'positive' result is that it is UNAMBIGUOUS
compared with traditional blood doping, where a positive result 'tends' to support the conclusion that the athlete is doping
here, either there is a motor, or there is not
simply penalty; eject / ban the rider for 1 year minimum, and keep the bike on display, as a trophy
fughedabout "Use a Gun, go to Prison"
instead
"Use a Motor, it's all Over"
.
15
A one year ban isn't enough.
First, fire a shot across all bows, warning of the uniform penalty. Next, ban anyone caught with a motor for life from competing, coaching or being in any way officially involved in any UCI event.
There's absolutely no room in the sport for someone who would do this.
First, fire a shot across all bows, warning of the uniform penalty. Next, ban anyone caught with a motor for life from competing, coaching or being in any way officially involved in any UCI event.
There's absolutely no room in the sport for someone who would do this.
94
Cycling never ceases to amaze me. The fact that a fun and healthy sport for the rest of us has become a mechanism to get the best minds of medicine and technology to cheat for the few makes me wish that all those professionals would just go away. Hopefully others agree and the sponsors that help support this high level cheat-fest masquerading as a competitive event will agree. Only then will the sport be cleaned up.
94
The same could be said for baseball. And one look at college and pro U.S. football players should make it obvious PED use is rampant.
Meh. Name me a sport that doesn't have a cheating problem---I rather doubt you can. Or, for that matter, name me a business, or educational institution, or elective office, or any competitive venture that's free of cheating.
As long as there's competition for a prize, whether for money or glory or any form of distinction, there's going to be the temptation to cheat. About all we can do is to watch for it, and make the cost of being caught painful. And even that won't make it go away.
As long as there's competition for a prize, whether for money or glory or any form of distinction, there's going to be the temptation to cheat. About all we can do is to watch for it, and make the cost of being caught painful. And even that won't make it go away.
1
Just give it time. The amateur ranks are notorious for dropping to new levels. I mean after all, for a person to spend 5-10K on a bicycle, drug, and now, add a little engine that could, all to win the local crit, the Small Town USA time trial (or more likely, triathlon), all to win No Money (or a couple hundred), all to have a picture in the paper as Local Speed Demon....
well, I've never understood it. Yes, there are uglier things in life, but it really is one of those things that bothers me to the extent that were I truly independently wealthy, I'd make it my life's work to expose the Small Town Dad's and Mom's who stoop so low, lie to family, friends, and neighbors, all to feed their egos.
I suppose that says something about me, eh Freud? Ha.
Anyway, may their engines all throw a rod, right up their....
well, I've never understood it. Yes, there are uglier things in life, but it really is one of those things that bothers me to the extent that were I truly independently wealthy, I'd make it my life's work to expose the Small Town Dad's and Mom's who stoop so low, lie to family, friends, and neighbors, all to feed their egos.
I suppose that says something about me, eh Freud? Ha.
Anyway, may their engines all throw a rod, right up their....
124
I've yet to see an electric motor throw a rod.
Simple solution: Provide all competitors the same model bicycle, fitted to correct frame size. This would level the playing field as to equipment advantages and focus on athlete performance.
147
And maybe put a twenty pound bag of potatoes in the basket.
14
A quality competition bicycle can easily cost $10,000, and there can easily be 10,000 riders in a single race. (One race in South Africa has over three times that many competitors.) Who do you think is going to pay for all of those bikes? (And it sure isn't going to be the competitors, because they pay enough for the bikes they train on.)
2
@Chris Anderson
Nah. Part of the fun is the technology. Think NASCAR. The technology is thrilling. People should just compete honestly.
I think among bikers the "dream" bike is the one that disappears, in a sense. One that becomes an extension of the rider themselves. And the evolution of the technology is that the bike IS disappearing. Just weigh them!
Nah. Part of the fun is the technology. Think NASCAR. The technology is thrilling. People should just compete honestly.
I think among bikers the "dream" bike is the one that disappears, in a sense. One that becomes an extension of the rider themselves. And the evolution of the technology is that the bike IS disappearing. Just weigh them!
if your not cheating your not trying
8
Perhaps. Yet, it seems cheaters are usually uncovered and experience humility. Even those who cheated on your third grade spelling and grammar tests.
10
Professional cycling has always been marked by cheating. It has been well documented since the inception of the Toure De France. Cheating is what separates the novices from the pros.
It makes sense. Unlike basketball or tennis, which require a combination of hand-eye coordination, finesse, and strategy, cycling is based almost entirely on physical endurance. Disgruntled cyclists who leave the sport have been saying the same thing for decades: virtually everybody cheats, and its the careless ones who get caught.
It makes sense. Unlike basketball or tennis, which require a combination of hand-eye coordination, finesse, and strategy, cycling is based almost entirely on physical endurance. Disgruntled cyclists who leave the sport have been saying the same thing for decades: virtually everybody cheats, and its the careless ones who get caught.
6
I just injected HGH into the tires on my bicycle and now i can pedal almost 50mph. WOW
26
Joyce Wadler wrote a wonderful article about the joys of an electric bike.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/30/booming/i-sing-the-bike-electric.html
We can now look forward to seeing Joyce in the winners circle.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/30/booming/i-sing-the-bike-electric.html
We can now look forward to seeing Joyce in the winners circle.
6
For shame. Can't cheaters simply be happy that they are competing in the upper echelons of a sport? That they are among the best in the world at something? How can they ever take pride in an ill-gotten victory?
10
If they aren't cheating, some riders wouldn't be participating at the upper echelons of their sport, from cycling to golf to baseball, football and soccer.
Professional cycling today is similar to baseball in the era before free agency. For every cyclist making the big money, there are 10 (or more) who are barely hanging on to their spots on a team, making peanuts. The big money comes from winning - team wins, like in the big tours and individual wins in the spring classics. The big teams are 15 or 20 riders deep, with the best riding in the major races (the equivalent of the big leagues) while the rest may be competing in the smaller races (the high minors) or practicing only (think of the Rookie Leagues). If you're at the latter two levels, you want to jump to the big leagues and the best way to do that is win, or at least turn in string performances. And if you cant do that, well there are always mechanical and pharmaceutical temptations.
Professional cyclists are so crooked that when they die they have to be screwed into the ground.
74
Once again, Greg Lemond leads the pack when it comes to keeping cycling honest. He's been talking about this for years. UCI has been slow to respond. That outfit shouldn't be allowed to sanction a hopscotch tournament.
77
Although unsubstantiated by testimony in-court, there are some allegations made against Lemond by other racers for using "illicit strategies to include chemicals introduced into the body for performance enhancement" during the 80s-90s. Please, don't put this man on a pedestal. In the early part of 2004-2005. I, personally, saw an instance where Lemond had no bike for a ride in Mammoth Lakes, and he borrowed a bike from one of the local shop technicians and not return it for months, and then battered and in poor repair. I take this as a sense of honor that can be extrapolated to other venues.
1
LeMond is no saint, but he HAS consistently been an honest man in cycling, especially when he retired. He cheated, no doubt about it, but he has come clean and admitted cycling has a cheating problem. And he was among the first to accuse Lance of doping (remember "I've come back from being shot, and there is no way he is recovering like that without drugs?" or some such quote?) And the blood tests confirmed, Lance doped. So did almost EVERYONE back then, of course...
Lemond never tested positive for drugs throughout his entire career.
1
Why does anyone still follow this 'sport'?
13
Cyclists are really hot and its a sport you can emulate any given day.
2
Leaving aside the whole bizarre notion of these insane bicycle races, let alone racers who would actually try to cheat, that device, the little motor that fits inside the seat-tube geared to the bottom-bracket to assist pedaling is absolutely ingenious. Congrats to the designers of that thing, I definitely want one!
46
One of the problems with the modern world is that huge amounts of time and money is invested in cheating. Sport, business, politics etc nobody wants to get there the hard way or be happy with second from their own efforts.
6
Is it fair to say that a relatively high proportion of the world's top cyclists are compulsive liars? What other sport attracts so many cheaters?
1
Baseball, football, wrestling, boxing, basketball, soccer, swimming, hockey, skating, gymnastics, nascar........................
24
.....any sport where the top "performers" stand to make enormous amounts of money, in short.
2
But not golf. If your ball moves 1/10 of an inch after you address it, you call a one-stroke penalty on yourself.
Femke Van den Driessche was caught in January with one, so not exactly new ;-)
http://velonews.competitor.com/2016/01/news/uci_detains_bike_cyclocross_...
http://velonews.competitor.com/2016/01/news/uci_detains_bike_cyclocross_...
1
The article mentions her case. It also contains links (at the bottom, under "related coverage") to NYT articles from 2010 on this topic. So yes, everyone is aware that this is not new. The point of this article is to provide recent information on the topic.
9
There is an extremely simple, non-technological solution for this problem. Before the start of each day's event, the participants draw for bikes. They then ride the number they drew that day. Since there is always a chance that you will draw the number of your own bike or that of a team mate, it would not make sense to sabotage one's own bike in hope of slowing a competitor down.
I raced cars for around 20 years, and believe me, everyone was always looking for an edge. What would you expect from people who are hypercompetitive? Sure, in amateur racing, there are always a few who are content just to be part of the show, but they are always back markers. Not saying that the folks who win are always cheating.
I raced cars for around 20 years, and believe me, everyone was always looking for an edge. What would you expect from people who are hypercompetitive? Sure, in amateur racing, there are always a few who are content just to be part of the show, but they are always back markers. Not saying that the folks who win are always cheating.
8
If you're unlikely to ride your own bike, then there's no incentive to bring a decent bike to the competition (where it might get lost or damaged by some other rider who doesn't care what happens to it). In that case, everyone is likely to bring a dilapidated bike (perhaps a friend's piece of junk, or a backup bike, or a very old one, or one that hasn't had proper maintenance), resulting in a terrible race that no spectator would want to watch. Sorry, but I don't think your solution is feasible.
5
Like a custom suit, bikes are designed to fit each rider. There are many variables; frame size, saddle height, crank length, stem rise/length, handlebar width to name a few.
Your idea simply would not work. It would be like asking NBA players to wear someone else's sneakers.
Your idea simply would not work. It would be like asking NBA players to wear someone else's sneakers.
28
Too many bike sizes to provide everyone a different bike on a random basis. Not to mention everyone who have to standardize on pedal systems and components. That wouldn't work, either.
Lance Armstrong's doping wouldn't have happened if he had an EV Racing Bike. Now the French find the real cheaters, poetic justice?