Forget steroids and performance-enhancing drugs, cyclists have taken cheating to a new level with ‘motor […] The post Cyclists Use Magnets and Motors to Cheat appeared first on Argus International.

Forget steroids and performance-enhancing drugs, cyclists have taken cheating to a new level with ‘motor doping.’ Professional cyclists in Europe have been found with magnets used in a small, hidden motor of their bikes in races like Tour de France.

image CBS news

60 Minutes’ Bill Whitaker investigated this, traveling to Budapest with a team of producers to visit the engineer of this tiny bike motor , Istvan Varjas. Varjas showed off his work, including his next big invention for cyclists – an electromagnetic wheel. After demonstrating the bikes in action to 60 Minutes, the producers couldn’t believe it – they really couldn’t detect any motor being used, by sight or even sound. He believes these motors have been used by professionals since 1998, though Varjas told producers that he didn’t create any products with the intention of being used to cheat.

How it works

The motor can be activated in several ways, including by a small hidden button by the handlebars, it can automatically start running once the cyclist’s heart reaches a certain limit, and it can even be triggered by a bystander remotely.

Magnets part in reinventing the wheel

The next advancement in the tiny motor technology is literally using magnets to reinvent the wheel. With his latest invention, Varjas has developed a model of a device that has small, hidden magnets inside the rim of the back wheel along with a battery and electromagnetic coils. When activated, the coils generate a magnetic field that propels the magnets forward, making the wheels spin faster. This silent technology is undetectable, even to the cyclist.

The post Cyclists Use Magnets and Motors to Cheat appeared first on Argus International.