• Electric motor discovered at world cyclo-cross championships • ‘It’s a concern that I’ve brought up with the UCI,’ says Froome

Chris Froome has said he raised his concerns over motorised doping to the authorities a year ago.

A bike allegedly containing a motor was confiscated at the Cyclo-cross World Championships in Belgium last weekend. Froome, who won the 2013 and 2015 Tour de France, raised the issue with Cycling’s Independent Reform Commission, which published its report into doping practices in March 2015.

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Motorised doping was not part of its remit, but part of a wider discussion Froome had after voluntarily speaking to the commission.

“For the last few years now there have been rumours about motors being concealed within the bikes,” Froome said on cyclingnews.com. “It’s a concern that I’ve had, something that I’ve brought up with the UCI independent commission when I sat down with them and said: ‘Listen, from my point of view there are these rumours, it would be my advice the UCI implements controls and measures to start checking bikes more regularly’.

“Just speaking from personal experience, over the last couple of seasons my bike has been dismantled and checked at least a dozen times. I think they are taking the threat seriously and hopefully this will mean they only increase the number of checks they do on the WorldTour level.”

The UCI president, Brian Cookson, vowed to stamp out motorised doping after an incident of “technological fraud” during the under-23 women’s race, which was won by Britain’s Evie Richards. None of the podium finishers from the race at Heusden-Zolder are under suspicion.

Bikes have been scanned by the UCI at major competitions, including the Tour de France, in recent years after rumour and speculation regarding motors hidden in frames but this is the first time a motor has been discovered.

Regulations, recently strengthened, state that a rider is given a minimum suspension of six months and a fine of up to 200,000 Swiss francs for an offence of “technological fraud”.

The Belgian media outlet Sporza reported the Belgian Cycling Federation had confirmed the detained bike belonged to involving Belgium’s Femke Van den Driessche. She denies wrongdoing.