Some believe that some professional riders hide small engines in their bikes.
If you follow the race, you've probably heard the term " mechanical doping”, which refers to the ability to hide small engines inside their bikes in order to increase power. Doping is doping, and as you can imagine, boosting engine power has always been illegal in a race. Is anyone really trying to implement this in a race?
How it works?
Engines for bikes certainly exist, but primarily for bikes that people ride from the suburbs to the city, where the power of an electric motor can greatly facilitate daily trips or reduce the total load of several days. Most of these systems are attached to the area of the system or rear hub, the engine housing, as well as the capacity for the batteries, are large - none of which can be completely hidden.
However, there is one design called Vivax Assist (formerly known as Gruber Assist) that is almost completely hidden inside the frame. This (or something similar) is what is meant by the term "mechanical doping", and some argue that perhaps these designs are used at the highest levels of the sport.
https://youtu.be/hIlmtQKLMUg
Rebuttal of this situation from Alex Rasmussen
https://youtu.be/PJUt_XPKiDk
In its current form, Vivax Assist includes a small cylindrical motor drive unit that sinks down the frame's seat tube to hide from prying eyes, plus a small external battery. A small bevel gear is installed at the bottom of the engine housing, which is an upgraded crankshaft. With a simple push of a button on the handlebars, a rider can bring out up to 200W of extra pedaling power, which is about the same as Chris Froome's power compared to the average rider.
The claimed weight of the entire system is 1.8 kg, but even if it is already a lightweight system, it will not be used in standard form.
Professional road racing today is a race of meager advantages and a small design with even a little acceleration will be quite effective in high mountains. A smaller system will be much lighter and more compact, just enough to fit into more wide range bike frame types than the current frame range.
At least in theory, it's entirely possible that a button dedicated to shifting gears has been reprogrammed to control a hidden motor. Could the standard shifting have been modified to control a hidden engine system? Of course, it is possible, but whether it has already happened is another question.
It doesn't take much engineering to hide a tiny wireless controller anywhere (or even store it in a team technical room). The Vivax Assist button can be mounted into the Shimano Di2 shifter completely freely, without attracting attention. Some have even suggested that, similarly, batteries used in electronic shifters could be used to power the engine, eliminating the need for a separate power pack.
At least in theory, mechanical doping is entirely possible. And, as we've all seen over and over again, professional cycling is no stranger to cheating.
Is there really "mechanical doping"?
It seems that everything is possible and is not a fantasy. But there are reasons why this is unlikely.
On the one hand, there are many technical "buts" that prevent the implementation of such a system. While there is no doubt that the system will provide a tangible advantage, electric motors have one important oddity: they provide assistance when electricity is applied, but when running in reverse, this generator takes precious power from the rider's legs; thus, the rider gets exactly the opposite effect than expected.
As a result, any type of Vivax Assist-like system will likely need to include a retractable drive mechanism to eliminate drag when the system is not in use (or the team must strategically develop a plan to replace the bike).
Despite the confidence of some theorists, mounting the engine into the hub is not entirely easy. Modern hubs already take up little space, and current electric bike motors are awfully big (and heavy).
In addition, any type of geared system will also produce a certain level of noise, although given that the system is likely to be used at a crucial moment, the noise of the surrounding crowd will almost certainly drown out the buzz.
Remarkably, none of these arguments negates the system itself. Deliberate cheating has happened before (albeit chemically, not mechanically), and technical issues can be resolved without too much work.
What is the UCI doing about this?
No one has actually been caught racing a powered bike, but it has alerted the sport's governing body, which has responded to questions raised by several key figures and some rather sensational YouTube videos.
Now international union Cyclists (UCI) uses an X-ray machine at major races to find anything hidden inside bikes. Every scan comes back negative (but as we know, lack of evidence is hardly conclusive evidence of innocence).
German bike company Canyon is already using a scanning device to check frames and forks for manufacturing defects. UCI uses something similar to find hidden engines
Is mechanical doping really a reality, or are they echoes of the past? It seems unlikely, but, unfortunately, not from the realm of fantasy. After all, winning is big business.
Source: astanafans
Probably no one was spared by the wave of doping associated with Olympic Games and the Russian team. I did not understand under what flag the athletes who will be allowed to participate in the games will compete. With the history itself, everything is clear - doping is usually a scientific, pharmaceutical and administrative field of struggle. Everyone uses doping, but some pharmacists are better and have a resource of influence in controlling and checking organizations. Therefore, this round was lost outright by Russia. Happens.
But today I learned about one of the types of "mechanical doping". Look here...
Rumors of cyclists using motors have been around since at least 2010. It was then that a video was published that details how you can shove the motor into the frame, how to control it using a hidden button on the steering wheel and why it is difficult to detect (the video has already gained 4.6 million views). In 2014, at the Vuelta a España, one of the athletes fell, after which the rear wheel of his bike continued to spin suspiciously, but then there was no big scandal. Indirect evidence gradually became more and more; about the motors inside the bikes started filming big gears.
For the first time the presence of a motor in a bicycle professional athlete proved at the beginning of 2016. Belgian Femke Van Den Driesche was considered one of the most talented young European cyclists - she won both the Belgian under-23 title and the European title at the same age limit. Femke Van Den Driesche was on the list of favorites for the World Championship (also U-23), but it was during this competition that a motor was discovered in her bike.
Photo from the website of the company involved in the creation of "mechanical doping" for cyclists
We discovered “techno-doping” quite by accident, when the Belgian retired for technical reasons. Before the start of the competition, Femke was considered the favorite.
The analysis showed that there is a hidden motor in the bicycle frame. According to experts, it was used to improve the results of the cyclist. At the same time, the cyclist's father claims that the bike is not hers, but her friend's. They seem to have the same vehicles, and the young man left his bike next to the athlete's truck. The technician decided that it was her bike and prepared it for the competition.
The athlete tried to prove that it was not her bike, but in vain: she was stripped of all titles and prize money, sentenced to a fine and a six-year disqualification.
Rumors of technological doping have been circulating among cyclists since 2010, when athlete Fabian Cancellara was accused of "technological fraud". Then one of the technical experts claimed that a small electric motor with a power of 60 to 100 watts was running in the athlete’s bike. Despite the fact that the motor is low-power, it helped the cyclist to improve the efficiency of work.
Subsequently, the organizers of the world-class cycling championships began to subject the bikes to random screening, using a scanner and a small camera.
Thermal cameras show that several more athletes are under suspicion. Investigations on "mechanical doping" in 2016 began to be carried out not only by specialized organizations, but also by journalists. Thus, the France 2 TV channel and the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera found out that at two races in 2016 in Italy, at least seven athletes were suspected of using a motor. To detect suspicious bicycles, journalists used thermal cameras: the place where the motor is located heats up during operation and cools down when the rider does not need “help”.
The International Cycling Union (UCI) did not use the thermal chamber method for a long time. The UCI believed that in terms of price / quality ratio it is better to use magnetic resonance at the start and finish - according to UCI experts, this method also allows you to find hidden devices inside bicycles. Even after an investigation by Italian and French journalists, officials continued to believe that magnetic resonance worked well.
The Tour de France will still use thermal cameras, and made specifically for the race. They were developed by the French Atomic Energy Commission by order of the government. Cameras can be installed on motorcycles that accompany riders. They are able to detect motors even when not in operation.
After this incident, the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport published a sensational interview with an anonymous person who claims that most of the recognized cyclists use mechanical doping.
According to him, the electric motor under the seat or in the frame of the bike is a thing of the past. The latest developments in the field of illegal modernization sports bikes electromagnetic wheels act, which are capable of:
Generate up to 60W;
- be activated both by the remote control and automatically, when the athlete's pulse rate reaches a certain value.
The inventor, who wished to remain anonymous, states that, despite the huge cost of such wheels - up to 200 thousand euros, those who wish to purchase them are in line for 6 months.
It is noteworthy that the respondent claims that many cyclists use this invention without even knowing it. The fact is that usually orders for electromagnetic wheels come through third parties, probably having their own financial interest in the athlete's victory.
sources
I somehow jokingly thought - do not cyclists use electric motors, because when modern development electronics to hide the mechanism inside the frame is not very difficult.
The joke turned out to be not so funny - recently the UCI imposed sanctions for the use of such devices in races. Caught on such an unusual doping promise to fine a lot of money with the possibility of disqualification.
At the same time, unlike conventional doping cases, not only the rider himself, but also his team falls under the sanctions. This is somewhat strange, for some reason they believe that an athlete can do chemistry on his own, and equip a bicycle with a motor - only with the help of mechanics.
How much does it cost to become faster than Armstrong
I did a little googling, and as it turned out, to become a cyclist professional level not so expensive. 🙂 There is a Vivax Assist company that offers ready-made sets of electric motors designed for hidden installation in bicycles.
For example, such a device, located in the seat tube and transmitting torque to the axle of the carriage, costs 2700 euros, a battery for 60 minutes of operation and a charger are included. The battery can be placed in the saddle bag. By the way, the total weight is only 1800 grams.
In addition, the company offers the so-called "invisible kit" for the pros - in this case, the battery is hidden in the bike bottle, and the remote control is wireless and disguised as a steering wheel plug. It is impossible to distinguish such a bike from an ordinary one externally.
It is said that cyclists using such electrical assistance have more advanced systems - the computer is combined with a heart rate monitor and turns on the motor automatically when the pulse crosses a predetermined limit (of course, everything works without wires).
For example, a racer goes into a breakaway, his heart rate reaches, say, 180 beats / m, and at this moment the electric motor turns on, which allows you to break away from your pursuers naturally and naturally.
As it turns out, there is a persistent rumor among cycling enthusiasts that some (maybe many) top-level cyclists use "mechanical doping". I believe that if this was a fantasy of envious people, then it is unlikely that the UCI would react by amending the rules.
Fighting the new scourge is supposed to be a selective inspection of bicycles that have reached the finish line.
In this light, vague doubts begin to torment me ... 🙂 Hourly speed records that fell one after another after a long break - is this not a consequence of "mechanical doping"? They didn't check the bikes for sure.
In short, if you want to surprise the local bike moose, then order the "invisible kit" from Vivax Assist and sign up for the next races. 🙂 Although I do not exclude that there are already such.
A legitimate question is why people need this, but I remember how many players in online games use so-called "cheats" to beat honest players. It would seem that this is just a game for which you are not paid anything, on the contrary, you pay with your time, why spoil the gameplay for yourself and people? Probably, to amuse their ego for them is more important than the pleasure of the process.
What do you think?
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Mechanical doping, or technological doping, or techno doping are devices for improving athletic performance. In cycling, the problem has become so serious that each bike is scanned by judges before races for a hidden electric motor. I hope that the achievements of mechanical doping can be used officially if the battery is replaced with a capacitor. This can give, with skillful control, a significant increase in average speed.
If you do an image search for the word "techno-doping", then the main results in the issue will not be related to the bike at all. In first place is legless runner Oscar Pistorius (Oscar Pistorius), in second place is a swim suit. It may sound blasphemous, but we are talking about technological innovations that are superior in parameters to what a person has. Official sport usually slows down the application of technological progress. Sometimes he explains this as a violation of safety precautions, but usually they simply declare everything new as doping, which immediately means a ban.
From this point of view, the bicycle itself is already a dope compared to a running person, however, further progress was also slowed down. For quite a long time, “speeds” and aerodynamic suits were banned. Now the ban on changing the bicycle layout (triangle frame and two wheels) continues to operate, as well as limiting the minimum weight of the bicycle. And of course, a ban on all kinds of "doping" with an external injection of energy. Apparently, in order to distinguish such doping, it is called “mechanical doping” on the English-speaking Internet, i.e. "mechanical doping". 
Searching through pictures brings up in the first place a small electric motor hidden in the seat tube and a battery hidden in a flask or in a saddle bag. 
There may be other schemes, but as far as I understand, the recent scandal associated with the discovery of the fact of the use of mechanical doping in competitions high level associated with such a device. The set has been mass-produced for several years. It can be officially bought (price 2500 euros), device name: Vivax assist, details. Fits any bike with a seat tube inner diameter of 31.6mm. The only alteration to the bike is two holes in the seat tube to secure the motor. On the manufacturer's website there is information that the main buyers are amateurs over the age of 60 who ride group training in clubs and do not want to lag behind the youth on climbs. I will not discuss here what and how is decided on the rises. For further consideration, the information in the note is enough: ““. I will only emphasize that the manufacturer believes that the maximum power of such a small motor (200 watts) is quite enough to maintain speed precisely on the slopes. In this, this device is fundamentally different from an electric bicycle, on which you can ride for a long time and quickly without pedaling at all.
In order to remove such a motor from the category of “mechanical doping”, you need to throw out the battery and replace it with a capacitor. And charge the capacitor by taking energy by lowering the speed on the descent. This idea is formulated in the conclusions of the note "". Let me remind you that there is an example of a cyclist who is traveling on a flat place at a speed of 28 km / h. When passing a small hill with the same twisting power, average speed drops noticeably. The only way to bring the average speed back to 28 km/h is to limit the downhill speed to 28 km/h, and use the saved energy to increase the ascent speed to the same 28 km/h. True, then it will not be the same as in the figure, it is necessary that the cyclist first ride down the hill, and then up the hill. This can only be done with the help of an additional device, because even if the cyclist does not pedal on the descent and store energy inside himself, his speed on the descent will still be more than 28 km / h.
There is another interesting consequence of this accumulation of descent energy.
This is the leveling of the rate of ascent from the weight of the cyclist. While I will not discuss this topic, but the consequence is very interesting. A successful cyclist should have bones that are light ("carbon"). For example, my bones are naturally heavy, and significantly, 15 kilograms more. This, all other things being equal, gives an advantage on the descent, but in total a minus, since this is how the average speed is arranged. And with such an additional device, the advantage on the descent would not be wasted 🙂
In general, returning to the specifics, I will analyze the wonderful product Vivax assist in blocks with comments on how it can be used in an idea under the common name “energy recovery”.
Drive, length 22 cm, power 200 watts, permanently connected via a gear train to the pedaling axis. The gearbox has a free-wheel, a correct but unused name: "overrunning clutch", or ratchet, or bendix, etc. In general, when the motor is not turned on, there is no additional resistance to pedaling. When enabled, the system adds up to 200 watts of cadence to the cadence, optimal power output defaults to 60 cadence (cadence per minute). At a cadence of more than 90, the system turns off. An attempt to pump through the Internet, which particular motor is being used, did not give anything 🙂 There are a lot of motors on the market with such parameters. In principle, it was enough to pay attention to a huge number of different drones so as not to try to search 🙂 But I found out that 200 watts is a hypothetical power, the real one is determined by the current that the battery can produce for the required torque. Unlike motors that run on AC power, the output power of DC motors is determined by the batteries, therefore, for example, power is not indicated on screwdrivers.
A controller that also fits in the seat tube. It has the functions of programming a “working” cadence when power is added to the pedaling and a maximum cadence when support stops. In addition, the rotational speed is maintained, regardless of the load. In practice, this results in more power being added if the pedal effort becomes less and vice versa.
Battery pack. The figures are impressive. Li-Ion, voltage 30 V, capacity 5.50 Ah, dimensions 120x70x70 mm, weight 850 g. Should be enough for 70 minutes of work. There is also a more powerful battery, but let's focus on this one. First, let's calculate the approximate average engine power. As already mentioned, the maximum power is determined by the battery. The average can be estimated from published run times by converting amp-hours and voltage to watts and minutes. It turns out 142 watts. This value will be used further.
Apparently, the battery is an assembly of 8 “cans” of type 32650 (i.e., diameter 32 mm and length 65 mm, voltage on the bank 3.7 V). The price (sales from the factory in China) is about $ 5 per can.
Finally, the button on the steering wheel. Short press - turn the motor on and off, press for five seconds - memorize the preferred cadence, press for 10 seconds - memorize the maximum cadence. I emphasize once again that the entire system costs approximately 2500 euro, from my point of view, very decent, more than a fairly expensive bike.
But the good news is that the initial components of the solution cost about 10-20 times less in total, so for further fantasies you can start from such a set. From it, you can immediately use a motor with a gearbox, a controller and a control button. Instead of a battery, you need to put a battery of capacitors. And also come up with a dynamo for charging capacitors during the descent, and with an additional control lever. Most likely it is most convenient to combine such a lever with a brake lever. The first half of the stroke is for electric braking, the second for conventional. But first you need to deal with the capacitors.
Supercapacitors today have a significantly lower specific energy (the amount of stored energy is not a unit of weight) than that of lithium-ion batteries, about 25 times. This means that a direct replacement of the 850 gram battery discussed above will result in a 20 kg capacitor bank. In 2006, graphene supercapacitors were announced, their use can give a five-fold gain, but still a 4 kg battery is not suitable.
The situation is somewhat evened out by the fact that in our case it is not necessary to compare all the accumulated energy in the battery and the capacitor. The battery can be charged only before the trip. That is, even if we do not consider it “harmful doping”, it is suitable for the task of leveling the average speed until the charge runs out. It is useless to recharge the battery with energy released from braking on descents, since it takes very little energy when charging, so the main energy will go into the “sand” and not into the battery. The capacitor is a different matter, it charges, if not carried to the point of absurdity, as fast as the energy source allows. But the capacitor also takes energy only as much as they “give” to it. In the average speed equalization scheme, the energy source is downhill braking. That is, if you go downhill, for example, two minutes (this is about 800 meters at a speed of 25 km / h), then the system will help you to drive only up the same hill (the same 800 meters with the same drop), then the accumulated energy will end, even if the capacitance of the capacitor allows you to maintain a much greater rise.
Therefore, for the minimum expediency of the system, we can assume that the energy accumulated in the capacitor should be enough to turn the motor with a power consumption of 142 watts (see above) for let 5 minutes. We take the voltage of the capacitor bank approximately the same as is needed for this motor, i.e. about 30 volts. Of course, a circuit is still needed to support the voltage, but this is not a problem. The main thing is to have enough stored energy.
Numerical estimates for the "first hit" Maxwell carbon supercapacitors show that a battery of 10 cans of BCAP1200 P270 is needed, the price of one can is 45-75 US dollars. Dimensions: diameter 60 mm, length 74 mm, weight 260 g. That is, a battery of 10 cans will cost at least $ 500, weigh at least 2.8 kg, and be the size of 5 flasks. If you still compare with a battery, then the size is 5 times larger, the weight is three times more, the price is 10 times more. Not inspiring 🙁
Progress is coming. As part of Maxwell, in the same dimensions and weight, you can already purchase more capacious capacitors, but still this is not enough. It is necessary to increase the capacitance of the capacitor five times with the same dimensions and weight. That is, just how much they promise from a graphene supercapacitor. Yes, and the cost would not hurt to drop. So far, I have not found a serial graphene supercapacitor in the network. There are such names, but judging by the dimensions, these are nothing more than names 🙁
added 03/28/2017
The announcement of a new type of supercapacitor "Electric Double Layer Capasitor" (EDLC), something between a capacitor and a battery from Spacelink, slipped through the Internet media. The parameters are as follows: Capacity 650 Farad, weight 500 g, energy density 58 W*h/kg. The one Maxwell 2.7 Volt element discussed above has the following characteristics: Capacity 1200 Farad, weight 260 g, energy density 4.7 W * h / kg.
Comparing characteristics is not very easy, since Spacelink does not have a voltage rating. But the energy density is 10 times higher, this is enough with a margin. True, because this is not a “real” capacitor, but an “advanced” battery, then the charge rate may not be sufficient. And the copy, as far as I understand, is far from serial. But progress is coming 🙂
Thus, the idea of mechanically maintaining the average speed of a bicycle in hilly terrain will have to be postponed until the mass production of graphene supercapacitors. It is necessary that a 3-volt bank of 1200 Farads weigh no more than 80 grams (I remind you that now 260 grams). It is strange, of course, that this is still not the case, after all, 10 years have passed since the announcement of the technology. In addition, we had a project of a domestic electric car based on graphene supercapacitors, which has been closed for several years. It is quite possible that he did not dig a little on the Internet.
In principle, in the network in recent years, the problem of recuperation of braking energy in auto racing called KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems), which also uses supercapacitors, has been slightly discussed. Interestingly, if you do a search for "KERS", there are options for the bike (some pretty funny ones on springs and flywheels) and even for skiing. So the issue is up for debate. In general, the task is well worked out in trams and railway. There is no need to accumulate braking energy, it is enough just to give it to the network. In trams, as far as I read, there is not even a mechanical braking system, only a parking brake.
Assume that there is still a suitable capacitor.
Then, of the necessary blocks, there is still a dynamo machine for charging the capacitor. I emphasize once again that a capacitor is not a battery, it charges quickly and with any current. Therefore, such a dynamo machine can work as a brake (optional, of course). Unfortunately, I have not yet found any ready-made developments for the bike on the net. But I don't think there can be technological problems here.
Of course, a more elegant technological solution is a motor-generator located in the rear wheel, as on electric bicycles. Depending on the mode switch, either it spins from the capacitor, or vice versa, when twisting, it charges the capacitor.
The management of a bicycle with an energy recovery system can either be manual, charge the capacitor on the descent, and take energy on the ascent. Or electronic, such as "smart bike". Then you may not notice anything at all, except that the bike rolls well uphill 🙂
Doping science does not stand still, and now pills and drinks in cycling have been replaced by technical doping. Just yesterday, it seems, was the first case of its discovery, although talk about its use has been going on for a long time. At a major tournament, a young Belgian was found to have a hidden motor in her bike, and things took a serious turn. She, of course, stated that all this was a provocation, she had nothing to do with it, the bike was not hers at all, and he was mistakenly taken for testing. But here's what I was wondering, what kind of motor is this, which can be imperceptibly thrust into a bicycle frame? Internal combustion engine, jet or electric?)))
And here's what Google has to say on the subject.
One example of such a bike with a motor was demonstrated by three-time Tour de France winner Greg Lemond.
This model has 3 engine operating modes: 50-75 watts for an hour and a half, 150 watts for an hour, and in the most active mode - 250 watts for 30 minutes.
This is one of the first options, but later models have ceramic components and are very quiet.
The version that LeMond showed has the battery hidden in a bottle mounted on the seat tube. There are also two small buttons on inside steering wheel, which can easily be passed off as electronic transmission switches. According to Greg, there is technology with a hidden battery in the frame and buttons under the steering tape.
Also missing are the bolts that hold the motor in place, making it even harder to spot.
In one of the comments to the article on this topic, there is a more understandable explanation for the amateur - A thin electric motor is mounted in the frame, apparently. with high torque with direct drive to the drive sprocket, and lithium-ion batteries capable of delivering decent current for the 30-40 seconds needed for a winning spurt to shove through the frame tubes are not at all difficult.
In short, tin. There are persistent rumors among cyclists that mechanical doping has been used for a very long time and even at the most prestigious cycling days. It's just that no one has been caught yet.
For example, an incident that took place in August 2014 on the 7th stage of the Tour of Spain was a perfect proof of the use of the "motorized bicycle". Then Canadian Ryder Hesgedal from the Garmin team fell at the turn - but his bike continued to spin so powerfully after the fall. rear wheel that the car began to describe circles on the asphalt. Fortunately for his team, Ryder quickly got up and "caught" his raging "horse".
Serious suspicions were expressed in the media about Briton Chris Froome of Team Sky, who amazed everyone with his "inhuman" sprint, which allowed him to win a stage of the Tour de France on July 14th. But it was not possible to prove anything, and Frum continued to proudly wear the yellow jersey of the leader.
Former cyclist and former Tour yellow jersey Cedric Vasseur, who rode alongside the riders on an escort motorcycle, openly stated that looking at Frum during the snatch, he had the impression that "the bike was riding by itself." "Before that, it was noticeable that Froom was clearly tired - and suddenly, to the surprise of everyone, he makes an incredible breakthrough and flies forward at high speed." And it happened on a long difficult climb in the Pyrenees. Vasseur stressed that he was very sorry that at this stage of the race no checks on the bike equipment were carried out.
And there are enough such examples.
Cycles Duret has been peddling such a miracle model for hobbyists for a long time - although it is not suitable for discreet racing use. A small battery is installed in the saddle bag, an electric motor and a shaft with a gear train that drives the pedals - inside the vertical post of the frame. The engine is turned on by an inconspicuous button mounted on the handlebars.
According to those who have tried this model, it increases the speed by about 5 kilometers on the rise, and even more - on a level road. About 60 of these bicycles are sold annually, despite their high price - more than 3 thousand euros. According to sellers, a lot of "motorized" bicycles are bought by older people who are pleased to overtake young people intrigued by such a jerk on the roads.
Poor-poor cycling. ERO and other rubbish have just been defeated with such a scandal, as another attack again ... And this is only the beginning! It seems to me that we will still hear noise and tantrums on this topic (((
Because, for example,
Hungarian inventor Istvan Verjas, creator of one of the motorized bicycle models, recently claimed in an interview with the French sports newspaper Ekip that the use of secretly improved machines in the largest bicycle races ... "has been going on for 17 years."
