The French Government, represented by the Secretary of State for Sports Thierry Braillard and Secretary of State for Higher Education and Research Thierry Mandon, and cycling authorities with the UCI President Brian Cookson, French Cycling Federation President David Lappartient and Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme, have announced that thermal imaging cameras will be employed to control cases of technological fraud on the 2016 Tour.

This morning, the French Secretary of State for Sports Thierry Braillard brought together all the leaders of the national and international authorities to present a detection system for controlling technological fraud during the 2016 Tour de France. Developed by the CEA (the French Atomic Energy Commission), the method consists of using a thermal imaging camera capable of detecting mechanical anomalies on the riders' bikes. The checks can be made in the race and on the side of the roads. The procedure was tested last weekend in the French national championships held at Vesoul, as French Cycling Federation President, David Lappartient revealed.

Five days before the start of the Tour de France, this announcement resulting from the common reaction of the authorities in the interest of cycling has been welcomed by Christian Prudhomme:

“Protecting the Tour de France is capital. We now have a real deterrent. To fight against cheating, it is desirable that the cycling world forms a united front rather than set off in a dispersed manner”.

It was also specified that the number of controls and the locations of these checks will not be made public during the Tour.