BRADLEY WIGGINS BELIEVES mechanical doping has been part of cycling for some time and those found guilty should face life bans.
Fabian Cancellara was accused of having a motor inside his frame in 2010 during the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, but the International Cycling Union (UCI) ruled there was no case against him.
The UCI has conducted checks since then and, after Femke van den Driessche’s bike was found to have a hidden motor at the Cyclo-Cross World Championships, the debate has reignited.
Speaking ahead of the Dubai Tour, Wiggins says the problem could have been hidden within the sport for some time without being detected.
“I think it’s probably been around for a while,” the 2012 Tour de France winner is quoted as saying by Cyclingnews.
“For five years now they’ve had this suspicion because they’ve been checking the bikes. I think it is the first one they’ve found, but I’m sure that it has happened in the past, but they haven’t found them. It’s just one of them things.
“In a way, it is good that they found it because they’ve been checking them for five years now. They did it after the Hour Record; they took my bike to pieces. They didn’t give up with it, which is a good thing.”
He added: “I would probably agree with that [life bans]. But you’ve got to ask questions of the athlete.
“It’s one thing to choose to blood dope, but it’s another thing to choose to put a motor in your bike.”
