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Comment by jschwartzi | Hacker News Reader

If the motor was installed by a family friend, why would that person need to conceal the switch?

And there was the race at the Koppenberg where she smashed everyone up the hill setting the Strava QOM, then lost lots of positions on the descents and technical parts, right until the next lap of the hill where she smashed up it again. Rinse repeat.

It's not surprising the ban starts at a date earlier than when she was caught, the UCI strongly believe she was using the motor earlier.

I'm not familiar with that race specifically, but it's not unheard of for a young rider to have massive strength, but little technical skill. The ability to descent and maneuver technically only comes with years in the saddle.

Presumably her competition wasn't significantly older...

The article mentioned she's competing with people of similar age.

There is considerable variation in the ability to descent in the senior peloton, and I don't think it is correlated with age; some people just are better at the subtle work, such as recovering from a wheel slipping away, and some have more brute power.

For example, the ability to bunny hop varies. http://www.cxmagazine.com/to-hop-or-not-bunny-hopping-cycloc... claims that, in Sven Nijs's case, it is to do with his BMX experience.

I couldn't find a good video from cycle-cross, but here is a nice example from road racing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPHnqI13vPk. Not everybody is as willing to take those risks and as good in recovering from (for him) minor mishaps as Vincenzo Nibali. Some cyclists are even known to take in a few bisons of water at tops of mountains because heavier bikes descend faster.

So that they could still boast about their own performance. Or not take ribbing about the motor, not much difference.

(I don't say that because I buy the story about the friend, it's just a plausible reason to keep it hidden)

It was alleged, that the bike with the motor, was not her bike but a friend's bike, that was left in their tent, and mistaken to be the althlete's bike. But also supports your statement, if this wasn't the athlete's bike, why go through the effort to hide the switch or mechanism at all if you're not competing?

On the flip side, if the bike was actually a friend's bike, what do you say to that friend that got you banned?

... and is the friend racing as well ?

More convoluted than even that.

She admits that it WAS her bike. But that she sold her bike to a friend who then installed a motor, brought it to her event, then her "helpers" mistakenly brought it out to the pit area.

See, her original explanation that it was just a friend's random bike didn't wash with it being painted like her other race bikes are. This new explanation of it being one of her bikes that she sold to a friend, now fits in with the narrative she is trying to spin.

Honestly the whole story is nonsense.

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