Phil Gaimon’s New Book Reignites Motor Doping Debate

Motor doping is back in the news and all over the cycling boards this week thanks to  an accusation Phil Gaimon makes in his 3rd book.  Draft Animals: Living the Pro Cycling Dream (Once in a While)  has been out since October but it seems the juiciest tid-bit in there is finally starting to circulate.

Last January, Belgian cyclist Femke Van den Driessche was  caught using an illegal motor in her bike  at the cyclocross world championships, and though it was the first confirmed case of motodoping, it quickly became professional  cycling’s big, new boogeyman. But, rumors were swirling about motor doping clear back in 2010 when Fabian Cancellara dominated both Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders. Former pro David Cassani accused Cancellara of using a hidden motor, and the following video went viral:

Which brings us to Phil Gaimon. Gaimon  has dredged up Cancellara’s sudden accelerations from seven years ago and brought this whole mess back into the news cycle. In the book, Gaimon writes about watching the 2010 Paris-Roubaix and hearing rumors that Cancellara kept his bike away from the rest of his team with his private mechanic.

“When you watch the footage, his accelerations don’t look natural at all, like he’s having trouble staying on the top of the pedals. That fucker probably did have a motor”