On day two of their meeting in Birmingham, England, the the Management Committee of the International Cycling Union (UCI) has decided to put additional measures in place to examine rider's equipment for compliance. The move is in response to allegations of motorized doping within the peloton, fueled by unfounded rumors that Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) used an electronic motor to secure his Paris-Roubaix and Tour of Flanders wins. The Swiss rider answered back in his home Tour just days ago with a commanding victory in the race's opening stage.
In addition to the recent reinforcement of visual inspection of bicycles, at the start of the Tour de France team equipment will be scanned prior to its use in the race. The Management Committee said the instrument was recently tested with a successful outcome, and will allow an official to detect any illegal devices that may be concealed, for example, inside the frame of the bicycle.
The UCI is considering working closely with Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), a Swiss technical institute of international renown, with an objective to "examine ways to control, in an optimal manner, the influence of technology over the equipment used in cycling, such that this could offer a beneficial contribution to the sport and avoid any future deviations."
From this point forward the UCI will also subject race service to stricter regulation in order to ensure that only equipment that has been checked at the start or finish can be used during competitions.