Tour de France Turns to Nuclear Researchers to Fight Cheating
(Bloomberg) -- The fight against cheating at the Tour de France is going nuclear.
At the government's urging, researchers at the French state-owned nuclear research center developed highly sensitive infrared cameras that can detect changes in bicycles to expose the presence of hidden motors or batteries.
The detectors will be used for the first time at the 103rd Tour, which kicks off Saturday at Mont Saint Michel on the Atlantic coast. The French government is keen to clean up the event, which has been plagued by doping and cheating scandals.
“This is a special project that was commissioned by the sports and research ministries,” Patrick Kanner, the sports minister, said Friday on France Info radio. “The state and the international cycling federation want France to be exemplary.”
Researchers at France's Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique, or CEA, enhanced consumer-quality infrared cameras to increase their sensitivity, enabling them to detect irregularities in the temperature and density of materials with more accuracy.
Magnetic Field
“Scientists of CEA have adapted the image processing for optimal detection,” the nuclear research center said in a statement. “It is well-calibrated and sensitive to the heat from little motors or batteries which could be hidden in the tubes or crankset of a bike.”
That's a departure from the CEA's usual work, which ranges from research on the nuclear reactors used in French submarines to the gigantic nuclear fusion reactor project ITER to supercomputers and the radioactive atoms used in cancers treatments.
Neither the CEA nor the Tour de France would say how many cameras will be used. The international cycling federation is in charge of overseeing the controls.
“We are very happy to have this new tool, as we have long asked for more controls,” said Titouan Tiberghien, a spokesman for the Tour de France.
The CEA is already working on a method to foil the newest technique among cheaters: a magnet that helps the wheels turn faster. The scientists are creating a device that would test a bike's magnetic field.
To contact the reporter on this story: Helene Fouquet in Paris at hfouquet1@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alan Crawford at acrawford6@bloomberg.net, Frank Connelly, Phil Serafino
-
Unhedged Position: Can India See An Indonesia-Style Time Correction?
The Nifty is trading below levels it first clocked in 2024. Is there, then, as I have suggested in the headline, potential that the current time correction drags on painfully for the next three-five, even ten years?
-
Navigating Friction And Energy Realities: An Analysis Of Marco Rubio's October Visit To India
Occurring at a critical juncture marked by stalled trade negotiations and escalating geopolitical pressures over global energy supplies, the visit offers a profound window into modern US-India relations.
-
India Exports Capital. Why Not Export Trusteeship?
The big question, then, is whether India can build an institution that global borrowers, investors, banks, and lawyers can trust, even without an Indian connection.
-
France's Economy & Politics Are In Crisis | The Reason Why
Let's look at how the French economy and politics evolved under Nicolas Sarkozy, Franois Hollande and Emmanuel Macron.
-
You May Inherit The Business. You Must Earn Its Credibility.
Succession tests the founder's ability to share authority as much as it tests the next generation's readiness to assume it.
-
Signing Deals Is One Thing; Making Them Work Is Another | The Week In Whys
Sometimes, things don't turn out as planned. Indian companies have lost some bids to rivals, some projects won't produce until 2030.
-
FOMC Wall, PERM Suspension, Hospital Stocks | Talking Points This Week
A PERM suspension would directly affect green-card sponsorship rather than H-1B visas, so the near-term earnings impact could remain relatively limited. The key question is whether this marks a new phase in US scrutiny of Indian IT.
-
Everything, Everywhere, All At Once: Dalal Street's Week To Forget | Joining The Dots
Visa curbs, a Starlink spat and cancer drug caps: what connects this week's shocks for Indian markets
-
India Is Going Abroad For Critical Minerals. But It May Take Years To Pay Off | The Reason Why
Although India's steps are in the right direction, they remain modest compared with India's growing dependence.
-
When Everyone Has AI, What Gives You An Edge?
India's young workforce is entering an uncertain world of work where powerful AI tools are becoming widely accessible. The advantage will belong to those who combine deep expertise with digital fluency, and the distinctly human capabilities that technology cannot manufacture.
