Cycling to expand use of VAR in 2019 after series of controversies

Cycling's world governing body the UCI is expanding its use of video referees this season to 20 leading races, it has announced.

Following a series of controversial incidents, most notably Peter Sagan's disqualification at the 2017 Tour de France for a crash involving Britain's Mark Cavendish, the UCI added a video referee to its race juries at the three Grand Tours, five biggest one-day races and Road World Championships in 2018.

At a meeting of its management committee in Denmark this week, the UCI has now decided to use video replays at 11 more leading one-day races, including the Amstel Gold Race and Strade Bianche.

The UCI also announced it carried out 15,756 'technology fraud' checks on bikes with hand-held magnetic scanning tablets in 2018, and a further 647 checks with its mobile X-ray machine. No positive tests were recorded.

But while rumours of hidden motors continue to dog the sport, the UCI confirmed that it is continuing to work with France's Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission on developing more sophisticated magnetic trackers to catch any rider tempted to use some mechanical assistance