Doge

The list is too long. There are too many things. Those that get busted may/may not be cheating.

Bah Humbug

Wow, 200 watts, invisibly? You could wreck face in tri with this.

MuddyBikeRider

This is one of those things were there are enough cyclists in races that if someone wants to cheat, they just need to be booted from the sport all together. Once a cheat, always a cheat.

Doge

I see very few races where given the opportunity to cheat (break the rules to gain an advantage - by choice) they don't. They do sticky bottles, draft cars...one more time - the list is long.
The solution is not to rely on the athlete to police themselves, it is to do a better job of enforcing the rules - or not have them.
Because...obeying the rules is a cultural thing too and it is unfair to have to do that when, the others don't.

Ridelots24

if it has a motor, then why is he pushing the bike in the picture?

gaucho777 

Fair point. I do recognize one might inadvertently ingest a small amount of a banned substance, but one doesn't inadvertently install a hidden motor. Although I know it might open a whole new can of worms, I might a sliding-scale system--say 1 to 3 years-- for banned substances . If trace amounts of something innocuous like over-the-counter cold medicine, or trace amounts of clenbuterol are found as the result of eating Mexican beef, etc., maybe that gets 1 year, versus 3 years for being loaded to the gills with EPO or getting caught red-handed as in the Festina Affair. Repeat offenders would get harsher penalties so there isn't a pattern of playing dumb. And 3 years for any motor, regardless. Just a thought.

CliffordK

Banning a person from competing from age 19 to 25 is likely equivalent to a lifetime ban. It would take a super athlete to jump back into the sport at age 25. And Femke may have troubles rallying supporters after that too.

If she was a strong athlete, and the motor was just incidental, then maybe she'll get back into the sport. Or, she'll be married with kids, and lose interest.

On the other hand, if she wasn't competitive, and could only compete with the added boost of the motor, she'll never be competitive.

Perhaps that is one of the foolish things of motors vs drugs. In some cases, the positive benefits of PEDs may outlast the bans. So, pump up on steroids and EPO, and be a strong rider long after weaning off of it. Ride with a motor, and it may well make one weaker. No long-term competitive edge.

I could imagine 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] tier riders using a motorized bike to hand out snacks and water bottles. Perhaps that is already being done. So, what the UCI needs to do is rather than prohibiting motorized bikes with the teams, they need to require distinctive colors/markings/labels. There is no reason not to have a visible motor, although perhaps it would be less pleasing to the spectators. So, use a bike with a hidden motor distinctively marked so it couldn't be mistaken by riders or officials, or photo evidence.

Doge

Stole this from the -33 Incidental Clostebol Contamination in Athletes after Sexual Intercourse

Sex gets you banned now. This may change things because we wouldn't want to have that [who they have sex with] limitation put on cyclists.
Bottom line is as a competitive cyclist I think it is way too restrictive now. What you eat, where you eat, what you smell (2nd hand smoke) - and sex. And we get stupid excuses.
Intent should not be a factor.
Knowledge should not be a factor.
If you are found breaking rules - penalize. I don't care why or what for. Just do it.
I'm into a 1 month - 6 month ban 1st offense.

Why motors are worse than sticky bottles, riding in a car, cutting the course, skipping a lap, putting tacks on the road, drafting cars - it is all kinda (I'm sick I guess) funny seeing the way people cheat.
They cheat in every sport, and not everyone cheats, but we should incorporate it into the game like soccer. Handle the ball to prevent a goal and you are out of the game. But...they didn't score.
If things are criminal, then have the police deal with it. Otherwise it is a game. "We" need to just test more, or leave it "wink" "wink" as the sport is much more interesting with the drama and, well drugged riders are more fun to watch. But I think it could be stopped. They just don't wanna.

Doge

Requiring bikes to weigh 12#-12.5# and allowing anything that passes safety test would solve the issue for another decade.

CliffordK

Oh, I can just see it now.

Snag the "cheaters". Throw them in the penalty box, and force them to crank out, say 100 watt hours on an exercise bike in the middle of a major race.

Doge

I like that thinking.
Right now my kid is in the air fly to a Euro UCI races where some refs may not like the electrical tape on his bike, but ignore other rider's bike weight while mine has a pound of lead on his BB. Rules are regional and cultural. If you read all the rules for bike racing and follow them, you are limiting yourself significantly. You can't do that and compete. There are so many things against the rules that are accepted that have larger impact in a race than PEDs.
Classic is drafting support cars. Taking a free lap when caught behind a crash, dealing with railroad crossings - so many other things. We have an obsession on PEDs and let all the big stuff go.

Carbonfiberboy 

She. She is pushing the bike because of course it does't have a motor. She did not ride the bike with the motor, AFAIK ever. It may very well have been a friend's bike. AFAIK the serial number was not checked to see if it were hers.

gaucho777 

Great. So not only do you have to watch what you put in your body, but also who you put your body into.

In David Walsh's biography of Sean Kelly, there's an amusing bit about how Kelly refrained from sex for several weeks prior to each race. Given a pro cyclist's busy race calendar, the joke was that it had been a while for the legendary Irishman.

Doge

Yea, tough one. I think the team (I had not read recent details) should have been suspended. It is not the individual alone at this level.

CliffordK

It has never been clear whether the bike was ridden or not, past or present.

If it was labelled in bright lettering "Support Bike", or had special colors permanently put on it to distinguish it from race bikes, then it might have been able to slide. Then just look for the bike in the race photos and videos. So, those guys jumping out of a support vehicle, carrying about 5 gallons of water can catch up with their racers and distribute the bottles without being confused with the people actually riding in the race.

All "race bikes" which are weighed and inspected should also have non-transferable tags affixed to them. There are plenty of "security tags" that once stuck to something don't come off cleanly, and getting caught with an illegal bike with a tampered with security tag would be really bad.

Inpd

correct. She never rode the bike as far as anyone know.

but her family apparently are a bit dubious, other reports said her brother is serving a ban for doping.

topslop1

What in the hell is a sticky bottle?

Fldaves

Her BS story is BS!

Bathwater

topslop1

Hanging onto support car for a boost?

Doge

When feeding from the car the cyclist should have their hand on the uphill side while the feeder - in the car on the downhill side. Then a long hand-off - pushing the cyclist up the hill. In reality 1-2 sec is acceptable. But sometime the bottle just sticks to the hands of both and well, try as they might to get it off, it is stuck and they end up pushing the rider 30 sec or so up a hill - or longer if no one is watching.

Doge

That is the real reason Belgium's have longer right arms...(yea, I know he's Italian)
Typically there is a bottle involved.

Doge

It looks like drafting a car to me...

Doge

Anyway in the racing I see (I see a lot of racing cause I'm a groupie) - rule breaking is everywhere.
I get threads shut down when cheating is discussed - so let's just say it is rare I can't spot a number of unpunished rule violations at every race.
I'm actually fine with that. But then when the media wants to get all indignant that one kind of cheating should get your body parts cut off - I think they don't watch sports much then.

Sure some things are "worse" than others - in they give a larger advantage. I don't think PEDs are the biggest advantage at all - I think it is the cars, and in general using cars is expected, just not allowed in the rules.

SteelIsRealHevy

Instead of a ban, she should be made to ride a Schwinn Varsity instead!