French police seized Cyril Fontayne's bike following a race in Saint-Michel-de-Double, near Bordeaux, last Sunday (October 1).

The 43-year-old, a member of the SA Mussidan club that was organising the event, is said to have competed with a motor attached to his bike on five occasions since August 21.

He has earned €500 (£443/$588) in prize money in that time according to local prosecutor Jean-François Mailhes.

Fontayne is the second veteran rider to be caught in recent time after an Italian rider was found to be cheating in a race near Brescia earlier this year.

A motor was also discovered in the bike of Belgium's Femke van den Driessche at the 2016 Cyclo-Cross World Championships.

It is claimed Fontayne bought the motor from a French website and fitted it to a frame bought online in China.

"I did it because I've suffered with a herniated disc since March and I didn't ride my bike for three months," he told radio station France Bleu.

"I tried to compete again but I had trouble because of sciatica in the right leg, I did it to have less trouble at the end of the race.

"I didn't want to win all the races, it was just to feel good again."

Fontayne attempted to play down his offence and L'Equipe has claimed he told Mailhes that he used a motor to "compete equally" with rivals, suggesting that some of them also use other methods of doping.

"I tried and I lost," he added.

"I don't sell drugs and I didn't kill a child, I put a motor in my bike.

"I'll serve as an example but I think it will do good to cycling because I am not the only one doing it."

The motor was found after Fontayne had abandoned the race when leading due to a puncture.

He had then attempted to leave the competition site in his car before being stopped and questioned.

Fontayne will now be the subject of a French police investigation and he is also facing a lengthy ban from competition.