UCI to step up testing for motorised doping at Tour de France

The International Cycling Union says it will make between 3,000 and 4,000 bike checks for motorised doping at the Tour de France, which begins on Saturday.

The world governing body has increased testing at major competitions, including the Tour, in recent years following rumour and speculation regarding motors hidden in frames.

And the UCI announced it was stepping up testing once more for "technological fraud" in the biggest race of the year, which begins at Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy this weekend and concludes in Paris on July 24.

A statement read: "For the forthcoming Tour de France, the UCI will have resources in place to conduct between 3,000 and 4,000 tests.

"An effective testing protocol is one which is unpredictable so the UCI confirms that it will deploy additional methods of detection at the Tour to both assess their performance and to ensure a varied testing protocol."

UCI president Brian Cookson said: "Since the beginning of the year, we are sending a clear message which is that there is literally nowhere to hide for anyone foolish enough to attempt to cheat in this way.

"A modified bike is extremely easy to detect with our scanners and we will continue to deploy them extensively throughout the Tour and the rest of the season."

Belgian rider Femke Van den Driessche was in April suspended for six years by the UCI in the first case of motorised doping in cycling.

Disciplinary proceedings began in March after the 19-year-old allegedly used a bike containing a motor at January's UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Belgium.

Van den Driessche was banned for violating UCI rules relating to technical fraud while she was also fined 20,000 Swiss Francs (£14,000) and ordered to pay legal costs.

The UCI tested 2,000 bikes at May's Giro d'Italia and said its measures were welcomed by riders, teams and organisers, who are cooperating with testing.

"It is clear that all stakeholders in cycling have a common interest to demonstrate that this sort of cheating has no place in the sport," the UCI statement added.