Belgian rider Femke van den Driessche has spoken to VTM News in response to the allegations that arose yesterday that a motor had been discovered in her bike at the World Cyclocross Championships.
The 19 year-old said that the bike that was had not belonged to her. “That’s not my bike,” she explained. “There’s been a mistake. I would never cheat.”
“When they said there was something wrong with my bike. I did not know what was going on. When I saw that bike standing there. I don’t know how it got there, I am very busy on such a day.”
She went on to say that the bike belonged to a friend of hers. “The bike is his and he bought it from me last season. It is an identical bike to mine. That friend did a reconnaissance of the course with my brother and placed the bike at the truck.”
“One of my mechanics must have thought that it was my bike and he cleaned and put the bike away. That boy sometimes trains with me or with my brothers, but I never knew that there was a motor in the bike. He never told me. It’s all a mistake and I’m really scared. I feel very bad,” said van den Driessche.
The Belgian rider realises that she is in a very difficult position. “It’s not nice when you are so accused,” she said, “but I would never cheat. I love my sport but I realize that I now have a very big problem.”
liar and cheat!
sorry, but no.
says that after being caught…
I feel bad for her. I hope the friend is speaking out all over the place on her behalf if this is in fact true.
Same bike. Same size. Same setup. Same colour including sponsors labelling and equipment. At a race and at her team vehicle.
says the sister of a guy who’s serving time for EPO . That family’s got form
Ronan Buckley
Heard about that alright, murmurs of engines in the road peloton for last couple of years but nothing’s ever been found. Her story is a bit on the weak side tho. Rules say rider and team jointly at fault I’d say they’ll be rightly feked!!!
Sounds dodge…….
I’m in for that Woody!!
Woody Manning Sally better be careful then!!
Lifetime ban. Make a point before this shit gets out of hand.
A “friend” that would bring a bike identical to your race bike but had a motor in it into the pits in a World Championships! Totally implausible story.
Yeah, but it’s up there with the best!! And the slimmest of chances is that someone set her up. How good is she?
Tara O Donnell les very suspicious today just sayin
Sounds like absolute bollocks to me.
And her brother currently banned for EPO; sounds like she decided he got caught via drugs that she would do it another way
Lifetime ban, not 6 months, 2 years or 4 years. Life
Hope he hasn’t killed anyone automatically convicting her of that too.
Lee you may be onto something there, though it was more than likely the friend
Agree; lifetime ban. Stop this shit now before it gets out of hand.
Heard a rumour this be leslie next week
Hey when it s blood samples. It been contaminated. Here it makes sense it s not her bike.
It most have been the kid s down the road
I smell a rat here.
Yea ‘cos she wouldn’t be able to tell the weight difference of that bike. & I’m willing to bet it’s exactly set up for her and not her “friend”
You would have noticed the power output.
I mostly use big gears and would immediately notice the extra watts.
LIAR.
I was just holding it for a friend.
I new she wasn’t a cheat Ken Nelson , it was her mates bike. 😉
Must have been your bike..eh those pedals on your bike seemed to move round very easy today.
Bull…. shit!!!!
That is all.
Bull shit
Ah a friend’s bike, that’s cleared that up so.
She is telling the truth, it’s the bike that was cheating!!
anyway, her team stuff is a fucking bunch of idiots. That’s sure.
How come the ones who would never cheat get caught?
Are we buying this Rory Vallely
Are we buying this Rory Vallely
She could always say that she took it to Halfords for a service,and they must have put it in!!!!
https://t.co/2VL94oJr4c
Life time ban..simple as that…
A pro riders bike is set up to the millimeter, impossible to get on someone else’s bike and not know…not only does she cheat but she is stupid..great for the overall image of athletes :/
…that’s my bike!!!
Give her a Lie detector test. If she fails, lifetime ban. Boom. My bet is she wouldn’t take the test because she’s a liar and would whine about the tests validity.