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What about Ryder Hesjedal's bike spinning on itself a few years back? Are we addressing that as well? It feels like the UCI is only going after easy pickings t

What about Ryder Hesjedal's bike spinning on itself a few years back? Are we addressing that as well? It feels like the UCI is only going after easy pickings to prove a point and not doing its best to actually to fight mechanical cheating in fear of yet another scandal.

coris47 10y ago
For some additional context / evidence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynLMfzLTc8M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynLMfzLTc8M
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- nxzero 10y ago
  Appears at least in some models that if the pedals stop turning that the motor stops and the wheel spins normally; meaning to me, if true for most motors like this, seems like it's very hard to say that video is proof.
guyzero 10y ago
These motors work by directly coupling to the pedal shaft in the bottom bracket. It's hard to tell but it seems pretty clear to me that the pedals on Hesjedal's bike are not turning when it lands. The angular momentum is just from the back wheel which is still spinning.
- celticninja 10y ago
  Probably a different type of motor. If you watch the video the back wheel slides along sideways for a while. This would stop all usual motion of the wheel and there is no way that it would maintain sufficient power to move the bike as it does even if there was some residual rotation.
  - guyzero 10y ago
    What kind of motor then? Wheel hub motors are sufficiently large that you could recognize one from meters away. There are only so many places to put a motor on a bicycle and at some point you have to come up with an explanation for what happened that doesn't involve a motor.
    - mikeyouse 10y ago
      I'm not saying that's what he did, but they have very clever (and expensive!) electromagnetic wheel motors that can provide ~50W of power for extended periods that likely wouldn't impact the pedals. http://cyclingtips.com/2016/02/electromagnetic-wheel-motors-possible-in-theory-but-unlikely-in-practice/ http://cyclingtips.com/2016/02/electromagnetic-wheel-motors-...
      - guyzero 10y ago
        These "motors" aren't expensive, they're completely theoretical. There's no proof anyone has built a frame-rim reluctance motor anywhere ever. The linked article literally says "So, is an electromagnetic wheel possible? Yes, in theory" and has no concrete examples of one ever having been built.
jokamoto 10y ago
That's already been demonstrated to be a side effect of a still-spinning rear wheel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak7xP8eghog https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak7xP8eghog It should also be noted that "incident" occurred on a fast downhill section while Hesjedal wasn't pedaling so even if there were a motor it is exceedingly unlikely it would still be engaged at the time of the crash. With a plausible physical explanation and no way to go back in time to check the bike for a motor, there's not much for the UCI to go after even if it felt the need to.
- dpark 10y ago
  It was also on a pretty steep downhill slope, which by itself could have been enough to cause this. You put a wheel on a slope and it's going to try to move downhill. It'd be suspicious if the bike had moved uphill, but the video clearly shows it moving downhill.
- BoppreH 10y ago
  I'm not convinced. Compare: https://youtu.be/ynLMfzLTc8M?t=8 https://youtu.be/ynLMfzLTc8M?t=8 and https://youtu.be/Ak7xP8eghog?t=13 https://youtu.be/Ak7xP8eghog?t=13 That was the best run in that video. The wheel spun less than 180 degrees after being carefully placed on the ground. In the original video the wheel was in contact with the ground for seconds before it got free to spin. It then spun for more than 180 degrees and seemed to be accelerating. I know such motors are supposed to stop when you stop pedaling, but it could be a different one. There's still enough evidence to look damning.
- gerpsh 10y ago
  I'm willing to believe the explanation for this particular case, but I find the Cancellara video to be much more damning, and a pretty strong hint that mechanical doping has found its way into the highest levels of the sport: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nd13ARuvVE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nd13ARuvVE The way he just smokes everyone around him without changing his cadence, standing out of the saddle, or even changing the expression on his face seems at least a little suspicious.
- VeejayRampay 10y ago
Luc 10y ago
Some people just loooove conspiracy theories...
gambiting 10y ago
Ride any bike, let it fall off - it will do exactly same thing. The video that was posted doesn't prove anything.

coris47 10y ago

For some additional context / evidence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynLMfzLTc8M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynLMfzLTc8M

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
nxzero 10y ago
Appears at least in some models that if the pedals stop turning that the motor stops and the wheel spins normally; meaning to me, if true for most motors like this, seems like it's very hard to say that video is proof.

guyzero 10y ago

These motors work by directly coupling to the pedal shaft in the bottom bracket. It's hard to tell but it seems pretty clear to me that the pedals on Hesjedal's bike are not turning when it lands. The angular momentum is just from the back wheel which is still spinning.

celticninja 10y ago
Probably a different type of motor. If you watch the video the back wheel slides along sideways for a while. This would stop all usual motion of the wheel and there is no way that it would maintain sufficient power to move the bike as it does even if there was some residual rotation.
- guyzero 10y ago
  What kind of motor then? Wheel hub motors are sufficiently large that you could recognize one from meters away. There are only so many places to put a motor on a bicycle and at some point you have to come up with an explanation for what happened that doesn't involve a motor.
  - mikeyouse 10y ago
    I'm not saying that's what he did, but they have very clever (and expensive!) electromagnetic wheel motors that can provide ~50W of power for extended periods that likely wouldn't impact the pedals. http://cyclingtips.com/2016/02/electromagnetic-wheel-motors-possible-in-theory-but-unlikely-in-practice/ http://cyclingtips.com/2016/02/electromagnetic-wheel-motors-...
    - guyzero 10y ago
      These "motors" aren't expensive, they're completely theoretical. There's no proof anyone has built a frame-rim reluctance motor anywhere ever. The linked article literally says "So, is an electromagnetic wheel possible? Yes, in theory" and has no concrete examples of one ever having been built.

jokamoto 10y ago

That's already been demonstrated to be a side effect of a still-spinning rear wheel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak7xP8eghog https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak7xP8eghog It should also be noted that "incident" occurred on a fast downhill section while Hesjedal wasn't pedaling so even if there were a motor it is exceedingly unlikely it would still be engaged at the time of the crash. With a plausible physical explanation and no way to go back in time to check the bike for a motor, there's not much for the UCI to go after even if it felt the need to.

dpark 10y ago
It was also on a pretty steep downhill slope, which by itself could have been enough to cause this. You put a wheel on a slope and it's going to try to move downhill. It'd be suspicious if the bike had moved uphill, but the video clearly shows it moving downhill.
BoppreH 10y ago
I'm not convinced. Compare: https://youtu.be/ynLMfzLTc8M?t=8 https://youtu.be/ynLMfzLTc8M?t=8 and https://youtu.be/Ak7xP8eghog?t=13 https://youtu.be/Ak7xP8eghog?t=13 That was the best run in that video. The wheel spun less than 180 degrees after being carefully placed on the ground. In the original video the wheel was in contact with the ground for seconds before it got free to spin. It then spun for more than 180 degrees and seemed to be accelerating. I know such motors are supposed to stop when you stop pedaling, but it could be a different one. There's still enough evidence to look damning.
gerpsh 10y ago
I'm willing to believe the explanation for this particular case, but I find the Cancellara video to be much more damning, and a pretty strong hint that mechanical doping has found its way into the highest levels of the sport: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nd13ARuvVE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nd13ARuvVE The way he just smokes everyone around him without changing his cadence, standing out of the saddle, or even changing the expression on his face seems at least a little suspicious.
VeejayRampay 10y ago

Luc 10y ago

Some people just loooove conspiracy theories...

gambiting 10y ago

Ride any bike, let it fall off - it will do exactly same thing. The video that was posted doesn't prove anything.