A concealed motor was found on a bicycle being used by the Belgian cyclist Femke Van den Driessche at the world cyclocross championships, the International Cycling Union president Brian Cookson said, confirming the first such case at a top-level competition.
The bike was seized Saturday after Van den Driessche withdrew from the women’s under-23 race in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium, because of a mechanical problem. If she is found to have cheated, Van den Driessche faces disqualification, a six-month suspension and a fine of as much as 200,000 Swiss francs ($195,000).
Van den Driessche, 19, denied that she had deliberately used the bike, saying that it was identical to hers but belonged to a friend and that a team mechanic had given it to her by mistake.