The long awaited investigation into 'mechanical doping' by US television show CBS '60 Minutes' aired Sunday night, with Hungarian mechanical doping inventor Istvan 'Stefano' Varjas again confirming that he believes professional cyclist are using motors in their bikes, but he would not name his clients.
Journalist Bill Whitaker travelled to Budapest, Hungary last summer to interview Varjas and test his hidden motors. The programme also featured interviews with Greg and Kathy LeMond, Tyler Hamilton and Jean-Pierre Verdy.
Verdy, the former testing director for the French Anti-Doping Agency, revealed that he believes mechanical doping has occurred at the Tour de France but could not name which riders have done so.
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"Yes, of course. It's been the last three to four years when I was told about the use of the motors. And in 2014, they told me there are motors. And they told me, there's a problem. By 2015, everyone was complaining and I said, 'Something's got to be done,'" Verdy explained.
Perturbed by the speeds of riders on the high mountains, Verdy explained that through a variety of informants, team managers and riders, he believes 12 cyclists used hidden motors at the 2015 Tour de France, and in doing so, "They're hurting their sport. But human nature is like that. Man has always tried to find that magic potion," he added.
At the 2015 Tour, the UCI was testing various bikes for hidden motors but has since refined its technique that involves a tablet device to scan the frame and wheels.
- UCI confirms motorised doping uncovered at cyclo-cross World Championships
- Femke Van den Driessche denies using motor at cyclo-cross World Championships
- Electromagnetic wheels are the new frontier of mechanical doping, claims Gazzetta dello Sport
- Mechanical doping: A brief history
Heavy Team Sky bikes at the 2015 Tour de France
1998 mechanical doping and Ferrari connection
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