Installing a motor on a bicycle to gain a competitive advantage in a race may seem a hair-brained scheme, but dual Tour de France champion Chris Froome says cycling authorities should tackle the issue with the same rigour with which they approach doping.

Froome said he was confident the higher-ups were "taking the threat seriously" after Belgian cyclo-cross rider Femke van den Driessche was found to have a motor on her bike during an under-23 race.

Speaking ahead of the Herald Sun Tour, a four-stage race in Victoria that starts on Wednesday, said rumours of cyclists using motors have been around for years.

"It's a concern that I've had," the 2013 and 2015 Tour de France winner said.

"[It's] something that I've brought up with the UCI (International Cycling Union) independent commission when I sat down with them.

"It would be my advice that the UCI implements controls and measures to start checking bikes more regularly, which, just speaking from personal experience over the last couple seasons, my bike's been checked and dismantled at least a dozen times.

"I think they are taking the threat seriously and hopefully this will mean that they only increase the number of checks they do on the world-tour level."

He said he was unsure just how widespread any issues were but added the only way forward is to implement preventative measures across all levels of cycling akin to the sport's vigilance on the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Loading

As tends to happen when a rider reaches the pinnacle of a sport with a reputation as bad as cycling's, Froome has endured his fair share of speculation regarding doping.

In December, the 30-year-old went to the extreme length of allowing his physiological test results to be published in Esquire Magazine for all to see and said he hoped it proved to critics he was not hiding anything.

"People were asking for my data and, knowing that I had nothing to hide, I went and did the test and offered that data up publicly to everyone," he said.

"I'm really happy with how that went down.

"Not to say that every athlete should do the same thing. I think it's everyone's personal prerogative if they want to do the same or not."

A number of team-mates applauded the move, but Froome said he had no intention of making a habit of publicising his test results.

"The more data you release, the more of an edge you're going to give to your competitors, the more you're going to give away about yourself, about your physical capabilites," he said.

"At the end of the day, my job is to race a bike as competitively as I can and with that in mind, I'm not saying that I'm not going to release anymore, but ... I'll look at each case as it comes and make the call on it."