Is AI the answer to combat motor doping? The UCI thinks it may be

At the MyWhoosh presentation in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, David Lappartient discussed how data could combat motor doping in cycling. MyWhoosh is taking over from Zwift as the racing platform for the next three esports worlds, and the UCI president was present to address it, as first reported by cyclingnews.com.

The fight against tech fraud

Esport cycling has witnessed many instances of technological fraud, with athletes manipulating equipment and falsifying data. Lappartient announced that MyWhoosh would use data from riders and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to detect potential cheating in esports races. He hinted at extending MyWhoosh’s technology to scrutinize performances in professional road racing.

The idea of using data to track down cheaters was initially proposed by Lappartient in 2018, coinciding with the introduction of a mobile X-ray machine to combat motor doping.

“We’ll discuss if this AI technology can be used in real races to detect or at least to target some controls on the bikes,” Lappartient told cyclingnews. “I’m sure AI and these new technologies will also help detect or target riders. It may be a problem with the number of watts. Or there could be a comparison with all the data we have. I think there’s a bridge there, and we spoke about how we can use their technology. There’s more to come on this.”

The shadow of motor doping

For over a decade, there have been rumors about cyclists using motors in the bike or tech in the wheels to gain an advantage. From Fabian Cancellara to Ryder Hesjedal, Lance Armstrong, or more recently, Sepp Kuss, many have suggested that some are using an unfair advantage.

Previous investigations in French and Italy

In 2016, the French TV show Stade 2 raised concerns about a potentially higher prevalence of mechanical doping. The report suggested it went unnoticed by the UCI. Using a disguised thermal camera during the Strade Bianche and Coppi e Bartali races, the program claimed to have recorded evidence of mechanized doping.

A report in the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that same year highlighted that the TV program identified seven instances of mechanized doping through the thermal camera. In five cases, unusual heat in the bottom bracket indicated potential motor assistance, while two instances showed heightened heat in the rear wheel’s hub or cassette. Consulting a thermal imagery specialist confirmed the suspicious nature of the captured images. That indicated abnormal heat in bike areas that shouldn’t generate heat.

The Femke Van den Driessche affair

However, there has only been one case of an actual finding of technological fraud. This was at the 2016 under-23 cyclocross championships. Belgian Femke Van den Driessche was found to have used mechanical doping. The UCI detected a motor in one of her spare bikes.  She claimed it was a friend’s bike mistakenly placed there, denying any deliberate intent to cheat.