Ryder Hesjedal criticized for 'motorized bike' at Vuelta
Public outcry pushes the UCI to take a closer look at Canadian's Cervelo bike
After Canada's Ryder Hesjedal crashed on stage seven of the 2014 Tour of Spain on Aug. 29, the back wheel of his Cervelo bicycle appeared to keep rolling as if it were motorized.
The video hit the web and Hesjedal's fans and peers had a laugh and some comments to say to those suggesting the bike had a small motor attached.
“I must admit, when I clicked on the link and watched the video that went with the story, I was almost convinced myself that something funny was going on,” Garmin-Sharp sports director Bingen Fernandez told UK website Cycling Weekly.
As Dan Martin stepped off the Garmin bus, he shouted to his mechanic, “Hey, I’ve lost the keys to my bike, have you any spare keys for my bike?”
UCI not joking around
Not everyone was making making light of the situation. Cycling's governing body, the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale), took it seriously. “Apparently they got a lot of messages from the public, so they had to come and investigate,” said Fernandez.
"They came this morning and said that they had to look at the bikes. I think they were almost embarrassed," Fernandez added to Cycling Weekly. But nobody found anything.
Ground was slippery
Fernandez provided something of an explanation, saying the slippery tarmac could have been to blame.
With the UCI taking a closer look, and a possible explanation provided, it appears the case of Hesjedal's magic bike has been settled.