'Powered bikes a threat'

03 July 2015 - 02:18 By Tom Cary, ©The Daily Telegraph

Something feels wrong. Very wrong. I am cruising past Baden Cooke, a former green jersey winner at the Tour de France, on a climb called Mortola, near Monaco on the coast road to Italy. The Australian is up on his pedals, giving it everything, while I am in the saddle turning a biggish gear.What I do have going for me is the fact that, concealed within the bottle on my down tube is a battery, which is running a motor, which is helping to turn the bike's crank. In fact, it is giving me around 250W of power.With this year's Tour de France beginning in Utrecht in the Netherlands tomorrow, it is forcing me to ask a question: Could mechanical doping be taking place in the peloton?The UCI, cycling's world governing body, certainly thinks it is a possibility. After being warned in March in the Cycling Independent Reform Commission report that WorldTour teams might be using motors hidden inside frames, it will carry out unannounced bike checks over the next three weeks."We know we must be vigilant," said a spokesman, adding that the UCI was taking the threat "extremely seriously".Stage 1 of the Tour de France airs from 1.10pm tomorrow on SuperSport 6...

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