Background
As the national governing body for the sport of cycling in Britain, British Cycling provides opportunities for riders of all backgrounds and abilities to fulfil their cycling potential in disciplines that include BMX racing, BMX freestyle park, cycle speedway, cyclo-cross, mountain bike endurance, mountain biking gravity, road, and track. Three of these are in the Olympic Games: BMX, road, and track.
British Cycling has an active research and development team that designs innovative bikes for the Olympic track cycling team. As part of the track event, athletes race in endurance and speed tests around an Olympic velodrome, where they can reach speeds of 60 miles an hour. Aerodynamics are therefore a significant factor when engineering bikes for track cycling and any opportunities to reduce the bike's weight, without compromising strength, can make a difference to a rider's performance on the track.
Challenge
To develop a new track bike for Tokyo 2020, British Cycling partnered with Lotus Engineering, Hope Technology, and Renishaw to develop and manufacture the HB.T bike. This collaboration resulted in a track bike that helped Team GB reach the top of the cycling medal table with seven medals at the Tokyo Games, which took place in 2021 due to Covid-19.
Read the full article in DPA's November 2024 issue