“The officials’ prey can be quite small: Cycling experts say just 20 or 30 watts of extra power is enough to tilt the field and clinch a race.”
Professional cycling has confirmed exactly one hidden motor, in 2016. Rumours went mainstream in 2010, and the UCI only began testing a usable scanner in 2015 after years of infrared cameras that can’t see a cold motor. In May a French official ended up on the hood of a getaway van at the Routes de l’Oise. A former UCI official says the pros stopped once people started talking about it. One confirmed case ever, in 2016, means either clean racing or bad scanners.