Cheating in the sport of cycling has reached a “mind-blowing” new level, says 60 Minutes’ Bill Whitaker. There’s evidence that some professional riders are using bikes rigged with small, secret motors during races, a practice known in Europe as “motor-doping.
Whitaker and a team of 60 Minutes producers went to Budapest to meet Istvan Varjas, the engineer who says he invented the tiny bike motor, which he says has been used surreptitiously in the Tour de France.
The motor can be activated in several different ways: The rider can activate a secret switch on the handlebars, a partner can activate the system by wireless remote, or a heart-rate monitor worn by the rider can be programmed to automatically activate the motor when the rider’s heart rate rises to a certain level.
