The heat detector camera - disguised as a TV camera - taken to major pro races to secretly film has picked up several motors being used by the pros, it is claimed.
Investigative journalists working for a French TV channel and an Italian newspaper have now claimed to have gathered evidence proving pro riders are using motors in their bikes.
The allegations are based on images, like the one above, that were captured when a heat-detecting camera disguised as a TV camera was taken to a number of pro races.
The investigation has been carried out by France's Stade 2 TV channel and Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
The reporters - Thierry Vildary and Marco Bonarrigo - say they took their heat detecting camera to the recent Strade Bianche and the Coppi e Bartali races.
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They claim to have found seven hidden motors - five in the seat tubes of the pros' bikes and two in the rear hub and cassette.
Some of the footage to be aired this evening, Sunday, in the Stade 2 documentary was shot during the races and when the camera was close-up to riders mid race.
The coverage in the Corriere della Sera newspaper was published today.
The reports claim the images recorded, specifically the bikes' heat patterns they say the camera captured, could only be explained by the presence of hidden motors in the bikes they filmed.
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They also claim to have spoken to a Hungarian engineer suspected of supplying motors to pro riders.
And the engineer has allegedly told the reporters that the best form of mechanical doping is a system based on neodymium magnets hidden in carbon fibre wheel rims.
Combining with a power source from a small battery, the engineer tells the reporters the batteries can produce 60 Watts of power and are especially valuable when climbing.
The concept of magnet-based rim systems is now new. But the level of detail outlined by engineer Istvan Varjas is greater than before.
He also says the best hidden motors for bikes are now much smaller and lighter than before, at just five centimetres in length, and that they can generate up to 250Watts.
The media investigation claims the magnet based systems cannot be detected by the new tablet technology the UCI has been using to check for hidden motors.
The report also says the magnet system can be turned on and off using Bluetooth, even using a watch from the cavalcade, and could only be detected using a magnetic field detector.
The investigation also says the wheels are only built for and supplied to a select number of pros and that each is valued at €50,000.
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