142 and 143.
What do I win? 
But even very small differences in seat height (and model), handlebar reach, stem length, crankarm length and other adjustments will make a large difference between different riders.
Even for part of the race can make a difference.
From upthread.
There seems to be some confusion here. They never caught her using the bike, they checked the bikes that were in her “technical area” or maybe even storage. The claim now is that she sold one of her bikes to a “friend”, who is a 39 year old Flemish Fries frier (which is a serious job in Belgium). That friend did a few laps of the track and left his bike in her area. He hasn’t said much publicly, except for “the bike was mine”.
Still a fishy story. In any case it is an 19 year old talent (not even elite rider) and if she cheated, she must have had help. Interestingly enough, earlier this year there were some raised eyebrows as she was the quickest up the koppenberg in one of the crosses, while she was far behind the top riders on all the other parts of the track.
A couple of years ago there was a tv episode on Dutch tv (bureau sport), where the showed and installed one if the 200w engines (would effectively increase output by 150 watt). Afterwards the presenter went to one of the small, steep hills in the south of the Netherlands (Cauberg?) and raced former TdF mountain stage winner and classics specialist Michael Boogerd… and left him standing still. Staying in the saddle he just rode away from Boogerd, kind of like Cancelara and Boonen in the Tour of Flanders.
Too bad this distracted from a great cyclocross WC, bot the men and women elites had awesome races and surprise winners.
Wasn’t thinking of team bikes. But if they are, then I suspect the friend is a team mate and will be disgraced.
The cranks are different, and I would think that the number wouldn’t be put on the bike at the last minute. If that’s the case, your bib number would not match.
Depends on the type of race I suppose, plenty of IronMen keep it both on the bike and in pockets.
No hydration, nutrition, or computers in a cyclocross race, lads. Just one hour of riding your bollocks off.
And puking. Don’t forget the puking.
The “expert’s” opinion was that the motor would be noticeable because you’d feel resistance if it wasn’t active. I was pointing out that a motor that works against you if it doesn’t have battery for the whole race isn’t much use. And as it happens the electric motors do not have resistance when not engaged so the expert’s proposition was wrong.
Yes, the fit would be noticeable but just to look at the bikes they are the same. I was addressing Enipla’s post about hydration, nutrition, computer, seat, wheels etc being different. If they’re team bikes then they are not obviously different to look at. If it used to be her bike as she claims then the stem, cranks, and seat may all still be the same. The only difference could be seat angle and height, but if they’re the riders are same basic size then that could be the same too.
Doesn’t look like they put numbers on the cyclocross bikes.
Her version of the story is that a friend with an identical bike rode the course earlier and left the bike in the truck. The mechanic cleaned it and prepared it thinking it was hers. How he could miss the battery wires, I don’t know.
It was her friend’s bike and she didn’t notice the difference because her bike was rigged in the same way 
How long before frame-motor bikes hit the market now?
I think the batteries were stored in a water bottle, which would make the deceit pretty fucking obvious to anybody. At least, that’s what they showed in the video. You could conceivably hide the batteries in the top or down tube, which would be completely awesome.
Regenerative braking won’t work in the bottom bracket because there’s a freewheel on the drive wheel.j
When I was in junior high school, I sketched a bike with an electric motor in the bottom bracket. Even then, I knew that there was no way to fit a motor in a conventionally sized bottom bracket. That 90° drive is brilliant.
Somewhere they were saying that the cyclecross bikes are so light that they sometimes have to add weight to meet the minimum 15 pound bike weight, and that even with the motor, it was still pretty fucking light.
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Maybe that’s her whole play: she’d be a great spokesperson for the bike.
Moderator Note
Let’s avoid nationalistic digs like this in GQ. No warning issued, but don’t do this again.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
From the Vivax Assist site, the default battery is 30 V at 6 A-h, which is 180 W-h. They claim to peak at 200 watts, but for about an hour, which (roughly) fits with their energy claims. The pack weighs 850 grams, which is in line with typical lithium-ion energy densities. They also have a 1.25 kg pack with 270 W-h of capacity.
Perhaps one day we’ll have true mechanical doping. I see no reason why someone couldn’t get knee replacements with electromechanical actuators and embedded batteries. In terms of raw technology, it wouldn’t be a huge step from what we have now. As you say, even a small amount of boost, like 20 watts, is an enormous amount at these levels. I doubt that pharmacological doping gives that much benefit on average.
Yep, you’re correct. I looked at some more pics. Doesn’t seem to be numbers on the bikes.
The story really isn’t clear. That she sold one of HER identical bikes with the motor to a friend, the friend road it at the track, but then she road an identical bike with out a motor at the race and the bike with the motor ended up in her ‘area’ and it was inspected. Where then was the bike that she raced?
Why would someone have two identical race bikes, except for the motor… unless they planned on cheating.
Thinking Occom’s Razor here.
I agree it’s not clear. My reading is that she sold her non-motorised bike to a friend who has since had it motorised. He rode the track and left it where it was mistaken for her current non-motorised bike and prepped for her to race. She raced it (the motorised bike) and pulled out due to a mechanical problem, the bike was tested and found to have a motor in it. It is still as dodgy as anything but that’s what I think she is saying happened. Given that her brother is serving a ban for EPO and her father was quite vocal after this happened, I’m guessing that she has been cheating under the direction and guidance of her father. But I don’t have anything to support that view, just a WAG.
If she rode the motorized bike in the race, why does it matter whose bike it was/is? She rode a motorized bike in a race which was disallowed under the rules. She should be subject to the penalties as described in the rules.
I haven’t read any of the articles, so maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about.
As I understand her claim, there where two bikes. Her bike that she sold to a friend and hers. The friend only pre-ran the course. After he added a motor to it. And the bikes somehow got switched.
Uh huh.
Pisses me off a bit. My Wife works her ass off training for IronMan races.
Batteries and electric motors run hot. Just point an infrared camera on the bike of anyone doing well and you would know if they are using a motor.
200 Calories over a one hour period is significant work. Probably some strong rotating permanent rotating magnets in the set up. It’d likely mess up nearby compasses.