Motorised bike discovered at championship
A concealed motor is discovered inside European champion Femke Van den Driessche’s bike frame at the world cyclo-cross championship in Zolder, Belgium.
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The Belgian cyclist at the heart of the sport’s first mechanical doping scandal says she will not defend herself at a disciplinary hearing this week and is quitting the sport.
Femke Van Den Driessche, 19, was accused of using a concealed motor in her bike during the under-23 cyclo-cross world championships in January in Belgium.
Denials: Belgian rider Femke Van den Driessche. Photo: Belgian TV via YouTube
She said in a statement that the costs of defending herself before the sport’s governing body, the UCI, would be too expensive.
The rider says she has “decided to quit cyclo-cross” and that “acquittal would be impossible”.
The motorised bike was found in her competition area at the championships. She claimed the bike belonged to a friend.
AP
