{"id":133400,"date":"2016-02-04T20:29:47","date_gmt":"2016-02-04T18:29:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/?p=133400"},"modified":"2016-02-07T00:12:08","modified_gmt":"2016-02-06T22:12:08","slug":"wiggins-mechanical-doping-been-going-on-for-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2016\/02\/04\/wiggins-mechanical-doping-been-going-on-for-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Wiggins: Mechanical Doping? Been Going on for Years!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Femke Van den Driessche used\u00a0a mechanically doped bicycle. She was caught and one of the biggest cycling scandals ever was born. Sir Bradley Wiggins now waged in with opinions of his own.<\/strong>
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\u201cI think it\u2019s [mechanical doping] probably been around for a while. For five years now they\u2019ve had this suspicion because they\u2019ve been checking the bikes. I think it is the first one they\u2019ve found, but I\u2019m sure that it has happened in the past, but they haven\u2019t found them. It\u2019s just one of those things,\u201d believes Wiggins.<\/p>\n

\"Cycling<\/a><\/p>\n

Under the current rules, the minimal sentence Van den Driessche faces is a six-month ban and a fine of 20,000 CHF. Cycling personalities believe the punishment should be much more severe though.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have to suspend for life, for me they have to suspend for life,\u201d says Eddy Merckx and Wiggins agrees with the Belgian legend.<\/p>\n

\u201cAside from ethics, you\u2019ve got to ask a lot of questions of the athlete, especially the girl that they found it on because she was the favourite to win the race anyway. I can understand why people would dope in terms of what\u2019s to be gained from it financially but to stick a motor in your bike, I don\u2019t understand the logic behind that and winning a race because you\u2019ve got an extra 200-odd watts in your bottom bracket. It is the same thing as doping, but I can\u2019t see the logic in it,\u201d said Wiggins.<\/p>\n

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We're back on the road! @dubaitour<\/a> is a great place to start the season. Hope you like our new #WIGGINS<\/a> kit @rapha<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/wkL4gZaZfo<\/a><\/p>\n

— Team WIGGINS Le Col (@OfficialWIGGINS) February 4, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n