Femke Van den Driessche, Cyclo-Cross Racer, Caught Using a Motor At 2016 World Championships!

Just when cycling appears to be cleaning up it's act, somebody gets busted for using a motor on their bike. No, this is not a joke. It may sound like a joke, and in fact it would probably be a very good joke, but rest assured it is not one. At the 2016 world cyclo-cross championship in Belgium, race organizers found a hidden motor inside the bike of 19-year-old Femke Van den Driessche.

Bryan Cookson, the president of the International Cycling Union (UCI), a group that oversees global cycling--including events like the Tour de France and the Olympics--confirmed as much in a news conference on Sunday.

"It's absolutely clear that there was technological fraud," said Cookson. "There was a concealed motor. I don't think there are any secrets about that."

Van den Driessche was competing in an under-23 cyclo-cross event--a discipline of cycling that involves both mountain elements and road elements, which at times even requires the riders to carry their bikes over/passed/around unridable terrain (the motor would probably help here).

And while this is the first such find of its kind in a professional race, there have been murmurs in the racing world about the technology being used by riders to gain an advantage for some time now.

In 2014, Canadian rider Ryder Hesjedal (perhaps the most perfect cycling name of all time) was suspected of using such a motor after his wheel spun as though somebody were pedaling the bike after he had fallen in the Tour de Spain. However, no motor was found. And just this past year, both Alberto Contador and Chris Froom had to refute allegations of using the aid. Again, no such device was found.

So is Van den Driessche the first to use a motor in the corrupt world of professional cycling? Probably not. But she is the first to get caught doing so. Although, she still maintains her innocence, claiming that she would "never cheat."