Gianni Bugno, president of the international CPA riders' association, has called on the UCI to use heat cameras to help detect possible mechanical doping.
During the Stade 2 and Corriere della Sera investigation a heat camera was used to identify a number of possible cases of mechanical doping during the Strade Bianche and Coppi e Bartali races in Italy. The camera detected significant heat differences that expert engineers suggested could only have been created by a hidden motor. It is suspected that some riders and teams may use small hidden motors in the seat tube or rear hubs, or even magnetic rims that can provide a small but significant power boost to help them perform better in races.
The UCI introduced rules against what they call ‘technological fraud’ last year and now regularly use a tablet teslameter device to try to detect any magnetic signals given off by hidden motors. In a statement sent to Cyclingnews, the UCI claimed that “by far the most cost effective, reliable and accurate method has proved to be magnetic resonance testing using software we have created in partnership with a company of specialist developers”.
ADVERTISEMENT
However, the Stade 2 and Corriere della Sera investigation questioned the ability of the teslameter to detect mechanical doping, describing it as "not very reliable".
Bugno, who raced as a professional between 1985 and 1998, winning the 1990 Giro d’Italia and two world titles, is the president of the Cyclistes Professionnels Associés (CPA) on a part-time basis. He also works as a professional helicopter pilot and has expert knowledge of professional heat cameras.
“How come it took so long for thermal cameras to be used? I use them everyday in my helicopter when we diagnose problems with high-voltage power cables. They’re very efficient and very precise. Why they haven’t been used to look for hidden motors in bikes is a mystery,” Bugno told Monday’s Corriere della Sera newspaper.
“The magnetic field detectors seem less efficient. The UCI has to use thermal cameras in races and then break down the suspect bikes to see if they can find something.”
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest News http://ift.tt/1QhztVa
No comments:
Post a Comment