The Hidden Motor Scandal in Cycling

Belgium, 2016. Officials found a hidden motor inside a racer’s bike.

The Cyclocross World Championships were underway when race officials noticed something strange

about a bike on the sidelines. It belonged to Femke Van den Driessche, a rising Belgian

star. Her bike looked normal from the outside — but when inspectors scanned

it with advanced magnetic sensors, the device lit up. Inside the frame, hidden behind the

seat tube, was a fully-powered electric motor. Wires were tucked through the carbon

fiber, the battery was concealed in the bottom bracket, and the motor activated

with a Bluetooth switch. This wasn’t mechanical failure. This was technological