Lance Armstrong, who lost all seven of his Tour de France titles and was suspended for life for systematic doping, was once again at the center of controversy after being accused of having also used a motor on his bike to improve performance. The French Jean-Pierre Verdi, former head of the Anti-Doping Agency of his country, was the first to denounce the “technological doping” of the American. And the Gallic journalist and writer Antoine vayer He identified, after reviewing old competition videos, a move that the American used to make repeatedly and that, according to him, would confirm the suspicions.
Vayer said that when Armstrong touched the back of his seat, he increased his speed immediately. With that gesture, the former cyclist would have activated a cult device on his bicycle, which reduced his physical wear during the competition.
The engine in question has been marketed to the general public since the late 1990s, although, for obvious reasons, they are prohibited in professional cycling.
It is a small device, which weighs about 800 grams and is cylindrical in shape, so it can be hidden inside the pipes of the bicycle. It is connected to the rear wheel sprockets and is activated by a button, which can also be easily concealed.
The battery, small enough to hide under the seat or inside the water bottle that riders often carry on their bike, produces a power of 500W. That force is not enough to propel the bike, but it does help reduce rider wear.
“It is not like riding a motorcycle. You need to work hard to get it going, ”he explained. Harry gibbings, boss Typhoon, a company that manufactures this type of bicycles, at the BBC in July 2016.
That year, precisely, the American chain CBS had brought to light the problem of technological fraud by pointing out that the bikes of the British team Sky, one of the most powerful on the professional tour, weighed just 800 grams more than the rest of the peloton.
The American was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles, the last won in 2005, for doping. AFP Photo / JOEL SAGET
Verdi raised the first suspicions around Armstrong in his book “Doping: my war against cheaters” and in recent days, he expanded his complaint in an interview with the newspaper Le Parisien.
“Lance Armstrong is the biggest scam. With complicity at all levels. He received special treatment. Many told me that I should not approach the legends, that I was going to find myself alone. But if the legends are based on something … I also believe that he had a motor in his bicycle, “said the Frenchman, former head of his country’s anti-doping agency.
Vayer, who covered the Tour de France for more than two decades, decided to thoroughly investigate that accusation and, after analyzing several archival videos of Armstrong during different competitions, identified the gesture that seems to prove them right.
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source https://pledgetimes.com/how-is-the-engine-that-lance-armstrong-would-have-used-to-improve-his-performance/
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