60 Minutes Investigating Mechanical Doping in Professional Cycling

For months, rumors have been swirling of a big story regarding mechanical doping in professional cycling. Istvan Varjas, the engineer widely regarded as the technology’s inventor, recently told French newspaper Le Monde that the public should expect major revelations on television in January, with the newspaper suggesting the shakeup would rival the Festina Affair – the largest exposé of doping culture in cycling to date.

We now know more. CBS’s 60 Minutes is preparing a segment on mechanical doping in cycling, and questions surrounding Lance Armstrong will feature heavily. Could 60 Minutes be the major reveal that Varjas hinted at?

[UPDATE Jan 29th] 60 Minutes has confirmed the report, which CBS will broadcast on Sunday January 29th at 7pm U.S. Eastern Time. Find more information and a video preview here.

Concerns around mechanical doping – or technological fraud, as it is called by the UCI – first gained widespread traction in 2010 when some speculated that Fabian Cancellara rode a motorized bike in several of the Spring Classics. These allegations stemmed largely from an impressive acceleration away from Tom Boonen on the Kapelmuur in the Tour of Flanders and questionable hand movements which could have activated a hidden motor.

Other athletes whose bikes and performances raised questions include Ryder Hesjedal, whose rear wheel continued to spin after a crash in the 2014 Vuelta a España, and Alberto Contador, who made some oddly timed bike changes when riding on to win the 2015 Giro d’Italia. Despite these allegations and the implementation of enhanced bike testing by the UCI, there has been no definitive evidence of mechanical doping in the professional road peloton to date. The sole case comes from the U23 women’s UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships where one of Femke Van den Driessche’s bikes was found to contain a concealed motor.

Varjas hinted at mechanical doping in the professional peloton as early as 1998. In an October interview with Ger Gilroy on his Off The Ball radio show, Varjas said that he sold his invention to an unnamed party in 1998 and signed an exclusivity agreement for ten years. He later clarified to Le Monde: “I was not paid to make it, I was paid not to make it for others.”

He also made it clear that details are forthcoming: “Very soon you will see a big story, I think,” he said. “You will see. It’s a documentary; it’s not a tale. They get all the evidence and witnesses under oath. They made it under oath in America with some people. You will be seeing it very soon. After this comes out I can talk more, but they paid me for exclusivity for this report.”

BREAKING on Front Page Cycling 

FPC is now exclusively reporting a number of assertions made by a anonymous source:

1. 60 Minutes is investigating mechanical doping in cycling and is preparing a special segment expected to air in January.
2. This segment will feature a journalistic investigation of Lance Armstrong.
3. Bill Whitaker traveled to Budapest, Hungary in June 2016 to meet with Istvan Varjas for an interview and demonstrations of the motor technology in bikes from the early 2000’s.
4. Whitaker has also recently interviewed former teammate of Armstrong, Tyler Hamilton.
5. 60 Minutes has also been in close contact with Greg LeMond, a staunch anti-doping advocate who has made efforts to publicize the possibility of mechanical doping in the professional peloton.

 

Speculations Remain

Several of Varjas’s comments hint at Armstrong’s involvement. The year he sold the technology – 1998 – is notable as the year before Armstrong began his seven-year string of Tour de France victories. Varias has also said, cryptically: “To know who uses a motor, you have to look at the cadence of pedaling. These small engines work better with a high cadence of pedaling, on a small gear.” As most cycling fans know, Armstrong was renowned for his high cadence.

Armstrong himself has recently denied ever using a motorized bike. When asked by Ger Gilroy on Off The Ball, he flatly denied the accusation: “absolutely not,” he said, ridiculing the host for asking the question in typical Armstrong fashion. “Are you out of your mind? I know it’s topical but are you crazy?” Armstrong is also quoted by Le Monde as saying: “I’ve never put a motor in my bike and I’ve never met Varjas.”

 

Speaking to Le Monde, Varjas also noted that the hidden motors can be remotely triggered without the rider’s knowledge either by staff in a support car or by physiologic data such as heart rate. To the rider, it would simply feel like they were having a great day.

To sum up:

A big story about mechanical doping has been whirling for some time, and Varjas has said that we can expect major revelations in January. FPC’s trusted source tells us that 60 Minutes is involved, and a deep-probing investigation is being prepared. Although Armstrong is featured in the investigation, and Varjas’s comments seem to hint at Armstrong’s identity, the major revelations that Varjas has promised remain unclear. Does further scandal lay behind Armstrong’s Tour de France participation, or will another rider and/or team be implicated? Watch this space.