First, a disclaimer. I’m only another disillusioned fan. I’ve never met any of the people involved, I’ve never seen or examined one of these alleged motorised cheat machines. I have no idea if the guys and girls with their names all over the press are innocent or guilty as charged. Like most of the other cycling fans on the planet I only know what I’ve read in the press and seen on the internet.

Rumours, conjecture and internet conspiracy theories have been bouncing around the world of cycling for years. Type ‘mechanical doping cycling’ into youtube and up will pop a variety of video’s which explain both how it can be done, and clips which the conspiracy brigade claim show that motorised doping has been rife in the pro peloton for years.

I’m not going to discuss all this historical stuff, its all out there on the web and in print if you want to look it up. From clips of Hesjedal’s bike appearing to gyrate under its own power on the floor after his 2014 Vuelta crash to Cancellara seemingly pushing a button and leaving the peloton behind at Roubaix, it all makes for compelling but unproven viewing.

So far, so old news and rumours. Thats all changed. Remember the way that the cycling world went into meltdown when the EPO scandal broke? When the first positive tests came back that confirmed the rumours and whisperings of the previous seasons had been true? The dismay you might have felt as the horrifying scale of the problem became clear?

History may just be about to repeat itself. I really hope I’m wrong, I really do, but the fall out from what seems to be the first confirmed case of ‘mechanical doping’ in pro cycling seems like all the best scoops to be gathering its own momentum. Its got everything, claims, counterclaims, outlandish alibis, family troubles, threats of legal action and a cast of characters that includes a chip shop owner. You really could not make it up.

The finger pointing, accusations and arguments may yet take months to run their course before the investigation concludes and we may come close to knowing the truth. What we do know at this point is that one promising young riders career and reputation lie in tatters, and what should have been the greatest day of another’s life will be forever overshadowed by events beyond their control.

Already current and ex pro’s are lining up to say they aren’t surprised and that of course they’ve had their own suspicions for years. Even our own cycling demigod Sir Brad Wiggins has reckons the authorities may have been aware there was a problem as far back as four or five seasons ago as that was when he remembers the UCI beginning spot checks of teams bikes at some World Tour races. (The Daily Telegraph 4/2/16) If this is the case then historic cases of mechanical doping most probably stretch back even further if we assume that the cheating was taking place for sometime before the  UCI became suspicious. What ever way you cut this particular can of worms open it doesn’t look good.

If this is not an isolated case and it comes to light that this sort of cheating has indeed been occurring for sometime the ramifications are immense. By its very nature this sort of organised deception requires a significant number of people to collude to make to work. The rider obviously. Then theres the mechanics who build and service the bikes. The company or organisation who developed and built the technology. Somebody marketed and sold this stuff to the end users. Theres a lot of people in this particular loop and thats both worrying and depressing in equal measure.

The engineer in me finds the technology both fascinating and impressive, but what I just can’t get my head around is the premeditation required to bring this particular method of cheating to the start line. It must have taken a considerable amount of time and an even more considerable amount of money to test and develop this stuff. Ergo – whoever the hell thought this up must have been pretty damn sure there was a large enough market amongst the professional cycling community to make it worth their time and efforts. Once again this sort of chain of thought is leading me to a pretty depressing place.

Theres no beating about the bush here. This is not a grey area. This is not giving your body a little chemical help to recover from a brutal interval session (or whatever lame excuse the drug cheats are using at the moment) Concealing a motor, wires , batteries or some sort of electro-magnetic turbine inside a bike frame to assist your legs to make it travel from A to B faster is by any set of standards cheating on a most elemental level. End of. Nil debate. Non-Negotiable.

Whatever the reasons that drove Femke Van den Driessche down this path at the Cyclo-Cross World Championships in Zolder she will pay a heavy price for it. She will pay a price far beyond the possible six month suspension and fine that the current regulations mandate for the offence. Her name and reputation will be now be forever linked with this form of cheating. Her future prospects within the sport she’s dedicated her teenage years to look dim indeed and as the native of a country who cherish and are justly around of their cycling heritage she will now be forever a pariah.

For Britain’s Evie Richards the fruits of being the U23 Champion of the World will be forever slightly tainted by association with this sporting tragedy. The wearying questions at press conferences and in interviews will keep on coming. The fact that her finest hour (to date hopefully) will always be overshadowed by her competitors folly must be galling and deeply frustrating in equal measure.

The genie can’t be rammed back into this bottle. If cycling has learnt anything from the Armstrong debacle it must surely realise that it can’t just airbrush any more tainted results which come to light under the carpet. The investigation will have to run its course and then full disclosure made. Then yet again our sport, those who run it and those who compete in it will have to take their medicine and bite their lips as its reputation is further tarnished by cheats.

The next time I watch Eurosport and see a lone rider distancing a chasing pack or powering up a climb to the line I want to be sure it’s their legs and not some Duracell’s  taped together and stuffed down the seat post that are powering them to glory.