UCI conducts 997 tests for hidden motors at Tour de France

The UCI has warned that it’s “impossible” to get away with motor doping after revealing its testing figures for the Tour de France.

In total, cycling’s governing body conducted 997 tests for hidden motors at the three-week race, down on the 1008 tested last year, but they all returned negative results.

Bikes were tested ahead of each stage before taking to the start line, with a total of 837 pre-stage tests carried out during the race. A random six riders, who also underwent anti-doping tests, then had their bikes checked after each stage, along with the stage winners and the holder of the yellow jersey. 160 bikes were checked in this way.

"The large number of tests carried out at the 2023 Tour de France as part of our Technological Fraud Detection Programme sends a very clear message to riders and the public: it is impossible to use a propulsion system hidden in a bike without being exposed,” UCI director general Amina Lanaya said in a press release.

“To ensure the fairness of cycling competitions and protect the integrity of the sport and its athletes, we will continue to implement our detection programme and to develop it further.”

As laid out in its Technological Fraud Testing Strategy for the Tour, the UCI used three different systems to check the bikes.

Pre-stage tests were carried out using magnetic tablets which the UCI confirmed were recently upgraded, having first been introduced in 2016.

Checks after the stage were carried out using X-ray technology along with the newest weapons in the UCI’s arsenal, backscatter and transmission technologies, which provide instantaneous images of the interior of a bike.

“The UCI continues to take the possibility of technological fraud extremely seriously,” the UCI’s Head of Road and Innovation Michael Rogers said in a press release ahead of the Tour.

“Our range of tools to fight against any form of such cheating enables us to carry out checks that are rapid and effective. This is essential to be sure that cycling competitions are fair and to protect the integrity of the sport and its athletes.”

Rumours of motor doping have swirled around for a long time and the topic resurfaced at the 2021 Tour de France when Le Temps, a newspaper based in Switzerland, reported that unnamed riders had heard strange noises emanating from the rear wheels of certain teams’ bikes.

Despite the rumours, only one professional rider has ever been officially charged with motor doping. That came at the 2016 Cyclo-cross World Championships, where the UCI found a motor in Femke Van den Driessche’s spare bike, with the Belgian rider receiving a six-year suspension.

Tour de France

• Dates 1 Jul - 23 Jul
• Race Length 3,401 kms
• Race Category Elite Men