Thermal imaging cameras are being used during the Tour de France to detect hidden motors in bikes.
Cyclists competing in the three-week long cycle race, which runs from 1 July to 24 July, will be subjected to random checks, it was announced during a press conference.
The thermal imaging technology was developed by the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, and will be used alongside magnetic resonance testing to detect motors.
Motors hidden in the frame, for instance, will produce a heat signature which the thermal cameras can register. The television station France 2 and Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, reported that hidden motors were used in the Strade Bianche one-day race and the Coppi e Bartali race in Italy this season. Motors were detected in the seat tube and the rear hub, although it could not be proven.
The technology has been approved by the International Cycling Union (UCI).
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