French authorities will crack down on the use of hidden motors in this year's Tour de France with the cheating tactic described as worse than doping.
Following the six-year ban given to Belgium rider Femke Van den Driessche in April 2016 for using a hidden motor at the Under 23 world championships, the International Cycling Union (UCI) has vowed to crack down on 'mechanical doping', according to a report in le Journal du Dimanche.
"This problem is worse than doping," French Sports Minister Thierry Braillard told the newspaper. "The very future of cycling is hanging in the balance."
"Under my orders research centres have been hard at work to establish the best way to combat this menace."
Authorities will use three methods to detect hidden motors; a motorbike-mounted thermal detector, an already existing magnetic resonance method which screens the start and finish lines, and a military-grade system that will be provided by the French state.
Hidden motors entered the spotlight after Van den Driessche was found guilty by the UCI, fined 20,000 Swiss francs alongside the six-year ban, and had her results from October 2015 annulled. She was also forced to return all prize money and medals.
Van den Driessche used a Vivax motor "concealed along with a battery in the seat-tube. It was controlled by a Bluetooth switch installed underneath the handlebar tape," a UCI statement said at the time of her suspension.
UCI president Brian Cookson said the new testing that caught Van den Driessche was a major breakthrough for the sport.
"We have invested considerable resources in developing this new and highly effective scanning technology and also in strengthening the sanctions applicable to anyone found cheating in this way," he said in April this year.
"This case is a major victory for the UCI and all those fans, riders and teams who want to be assured that we will keep this form of cheating out of our sport."
The Tour starts on 2nd July in Mont Saint Michel and finishes on 24th July.
Australia's Richie Porte will be riding for the first time as lead for BMC, the team made famous by Cadel Evan's victory in the Tour in 2011.
