The investigation conducted by the French police over the past 2 years into mechanical doping in the cycling platoon has turned into nothing. After all, the French found no evidence of possible use of motorcycles in the race.
Femke Van den Driessche caused a bomb in cycling at the 2016 World Championship cyclo-cross when she was caught with a motorbike in her bicycle. In the years that followed, the rumors and powerful stories of mechanical doping by top riders were not out of the blue. But Van den Driessche remains the only rider who has been caught in an official race for the time being.
For the past 2 years, the French police have tested the various Indian stories in the peloton for their truth. Among others, the Hungarian Istvan Varjas, the self-proclaimed inventor of bicycle motorcycles, and Jean-Christophe Péraud, the ex-rider who heads the UCI department against mechanical doping, were interviewed.
However, concrete evidence was not revealed during that investigation. After 2 years, the French investigating judge has announced that he will close the file without consequence. According to the French newspaper L’Equipe, the International Cycling Union also terminates its cooperation with the CEA, the French agency that had to develop small heat scanners to place in the cyclists’ bikes.
David Lappartient, successor to UCI president Brian Cookson, made the fight against mechanical doping an important election stance
