"That was something unreal and suddenly it becomes reality" - Belgian coach on discovering mechanical doping of Femke Van den Driessche in 2016

The only case of mechanical fraud in cycling to date, the motor discovered by the UCI in a bike belonging to Femke Van den Driessche, has never been fully clarified. In Sporza's podcast Fichebak, then national coach Rudy De Bie and then sporting director Jos Smets share their opinion.

"It was halfway through the race and Femke no longer had a chance of a good result when I received a message that I had to come to the car pits at the Zolder circuit," De Bie tells his story in our podcast Fichebak.

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"The moment I entered the room, they removed the saddle with the seat post from the frame and I also see wires appearing. I won't say that my world collapsed then, but it was something like: 'This can't be possible, can it?'"

Jos Smets, then sporting director of Belgian Cycling, was also there that day. "I still see that bicycle. The saddle has been removed and those wires hanging out of it. That was clearly a bicycle with a motor in it."

Smets couldn't believe his eyes. "No one could actually believe what was happening there. That was something unreal and suddenly it becomes reality. That happens in Zolder, at a World Championship in your own country, with a Belgian athlete. That doesn't make you feel good."

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