Insider turns down rumours of motor doping after fastest Giro d'Italia ever: "I don't know how you as a rider would imagine to get away with it with all the checks"
Cycling
After the fastest Giro d'Italia of all time, we once again hear the accusations of riders using ilegal technology, specifically hidden engines in their bicycles. How much truth is there to those rumours? And is it even possible to sneak an engine to the professional peloton at the era of in-depth checks by race commissaries, equipped with tablets that can see through every lie?
Sporza's spy in the peloton takes a closer look at the topic. But as he keeps reminding reader throughout his post, the likelihood of a mechanical fraud in professional peloton is close to zero. "You would sometimes think that Tadej Pogacar drives a moped, but unfortunately that is not the case. In the peloton there is never really any talk about motorcycles."
"I have seen the crazy story from a French amateur race. A 53-year-old rider fled to his van when the organization wanted to check him on a motorcycle. After which the race director lay on the hood of the van for 100 meters."
"We have not yet seen such Western scenes in the professional peloton. But I do notice that we are being checked a lot for motorcycles this year," he says, noting that sometimes teams kept being checked every day of a race.
"To date, no one in the professional peloton has been caught with a motorcycle. I honestly think that it would be impossible to ride around with a motorcycle in 2024," is his opinion.
"Every so often you have some idiot, like Jérôme Pineau, who says that riders use motors. But I don't know how you as a rider would imagine something like that and how you would get away with it in these times full of checks."
"In the period 2008-2013, stories occasionally emerged about motorcycles in the peloton. I believe that there were actually riders riding around with a motor in their bike. But after the rumors about a motor at Cancellara, the UCI took action to detect mechanical fraud. This does not mean that Cancellara actually used a motor."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- Sure, little fella.awp02-11-2026
- You'll be the ongoing joke of 2027 with anything you post here!frieders302-11-2026
- Awwww your inside information must be from PogiFanGirl. You two daughters of different mothers?frieders302-11-2026
- Hey PogIFanGirl...wipe that cream from your lips! You're ever loving drooling and whatever you have for Tadej has your brain fried!frieders302-11-2026
- Why should he 'let it go' ! Because you said so? Anytime LA Doper is called out is a win win !frieders302-11-2026
- Geez LeMond...let it go. You're a has been, albeit a former great one. But this is all water under the bridge and just undermines your legacy further.Mshark01-11-2026
- 'The Slovenian has collected four Tour de France titles' ... '[Kieran Wood's] ... reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis'. i would say that is pretty inaccurate accurate coverage, kieran wood ... too bad that AI's knowledge often lags several months behind ... but proof reading is certainly part of accurate coverage, isn't it? but fortunately does Kieran Wood place 'strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.' i would say the fifth tdf title is pretty new (and even verified) information, so feel free to update this article.Ketterechts01-11-2026
- You are wrong, they are already working on his new tt position. And yes, Trump does love you 😂👍🏼awp01-11-2026
- The Erola Jons incident was not isolated. She felt she could do that because that's how everyone treats Tadej. Remember when he said "If I say wait 2 mins do you show the middle finger and walk off angry?" about the supposed fan who did exactly that? There's nothing wrong with the nurses and doctors asking him to give autographs... but do the surgery first
Rafionain-Glas01-11-2026 - Perhaps he has what Mark Cavendish had, the Epstein-Barr Virus. It caused him severe and unexplained chronic fatigue. I hope he gets better.
parisbound0001-11-2026
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The sprint is one of the most exciting moments in a race. When riders sprint at over 70 km/h, nothing can be left to chance. La volata è uno dei momento più emozionanti di una corsa. Quando i corridori si lanciano in uno sprint a oltre 70 km/h, niente può essere lasciato al
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