Journalistic investigation reveals serious shortcomings of the UCI in controlling mechanical doping
Cycling
A comprehensive investigation by RadioCycling has shed light on the inconsistencies and lack of effective mechanical doping testing in professional cycling, despite claims by the UCI to conduct testing at all UCI WorldTour events and UCI Women's WorldTour events.
The report comments that it was discovered that technological fraud tests were not conducted on four of the 21 stages of this year's Giro d'Italia, including time trial stages 1 and 10. In addition, X-ray technology, a key tool in the detection of mechanical doping, was not used in the first grand tour of the season.
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The problem extends beyond the Giro d'Italia. In major events such as the Tour de France, neither magnetic pill nor X-ray tests were carried out on stage 21 in Paris. The lack of testing has also been observed in other prestigious races, such as the Volta a Catalunya, the Tour of Scandinavia and the Tour Down Under, among others.
In the case of Paris-Nice, one of cycling's most important races, no events were held on stages 5, 7 and 8. Milan-San Remo, the women's Paris-Roubaix and the women's Flèche Wallonne were also affected, with limited cycling events.
In the absence of effective and credible evidence, senior UCI officials reportedly expressed doubts about the possible use of motors in the peloton, according to RadioCycling. In response to this concern, RadioCycling requested data from 51 men's and women's WorldTour races. Of the 51, only 24 provided information, while 12 stated that the UCI had not shared figures and 15 did not respond.
The UCI, in its statement, defended its program against technological fraud, stating that a total of 4,280 tests were conducted in 2023, using magnetic tablets in 3,777 of them and X-ray technology in 503 tests. According to the UCI, all tests were negative.
Juan LarraCycling Journalist
Juan Larra is a writer for Cyclinguptodate and editor-in-chief of Ciclismoaldia, where he has played a central role since its inception. Under his leadership, the website has become a trusted source for professional cycling coverage, offering in-depth analysis, news, and feature stories.
A sports journalist with over 20 years of experience, Juan earned his degree in Journalism from the University of Seville in 2007. He began his career covering a wide range of sports—including football, basketball, Formula 1, MotoGP, tennis, and cycling—for platforms such as the official La Liga app, Vodafone and Movistar websites, NBA Blogdebasket, and Cadena Cope, honing his skills in writing and editorial management.
In addition to his work at Ciclismoaldia, Juan contributes to Cyclinguptodate and serves as editor-in-chief for the tennis-focused site Tenisaldia. Throughout his career, he has conducted exclusive interviews with cyclists and sports figures, provided detailed analysis of competitions ranging from local Spanish races to major international events, and acted as a special correspondent at prestigious races including Paris-Roubaix, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España.
Juan’s combination of experience, expertise, and direct access to athletes has established him—and the platforms he leads—as authoritative voices in professional cycling.
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- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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THREAD A RadioCycling investigation has revealed details of the UCI’s inconsistent and irregular motor-doping tests, despite the sport’s governing body stating that it "carries out bike tests *at all* UCI WorldTour events…as well as... [at] UCI Women’s WorldTour events. 1/
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