It is slightly ironic that the death knell for professional cycling would be the electric motor.
For those not following the incredibly bizarre story of the accusations that pro cyclist Fabian Cancellara has been using a bike “doped” with an electric assist motor, the rumor goes thusly–top-of-his-game cyclist, capable of blowing competitors out of the water in events like Paris Roubaix, has been doing so not on his own strength, not thanks to blood doping or EPO but because of a small powerplant inside his bicycle.
The video, grainy and more than a touch poorly edited proposes that Cancellara’s recent, storied accelerations coincide with odd touches of his shifters. He must, according to the logic, be using a motor.
I’m not going to debate the possibility of this (our own Mark V already has a posting with numerous comments on the topic) instead I’m going to propose an alternate take, pro cycling is dead. At least, for the foreseeable future.
After Lance retired
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