Team GB's Paris Olympics track bike launched

BC reveals the bike that it hopes will power riders to medals in Paris this summer

- Adam Becket, Snowdon Sports

The bike that Team GB's athletes will hope to ride to glory at this summer's Paris Olympics was launched on Monday.

The latest incarnation of the Hope-Lotus HBT was developed in partnership with Lotus Engineering, Renishaw, and Hope Technology, and made its debut at the Track World Championships in Glasgow last year.

However, this was used just once for homologation at last summer's competition, before its manufacturers set to work in getting a fleet ready for Paris, which is well under 100 days away. It follows on from the success of the Tokyo track bike, also a Hope-Lotus collaboration, which saw GB's riders win seven medals, including three golds.

The new Hope-Lotus design has the same characteristically wide seatstays as the first edition, but now features split seatpost, ribbed forks and aero-enhanced a handlebars. It also comes with a 3D-printed optimised Renishaw titanium crank.

According to GB performance director Stephen Park, the "impressive machine" gives GB's riders the "best possible platform to succeed". He previously called it the "most advanced bike that has ever been ridden by British athletes".