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MELBOURNE: A new bicycle, designed with aerospace
expertise, will give Australian cyclists the edge at this year’s
Beijing Olympics, team organizers said here Thursday.
The ‘BT Blade’ will be ridden
by Australia’s track endurance cyclists in events including the
individual and team pursuit, while sprint cyclists will use the
‘BT Stealth’ variation, Cycling Australia said at the unveiling.
Coach Martin Barras said the
research and development of the bicycle would ensure Australia’s
cyclists line up with the most technologically advanced bikes at the
Olympics in August.
“In events where the result can
be decided by a thousandth of a second our team goes into every race
confident they are riding the very best bike which gives them a
psychological edge over their rivals,” Barras said in a statement.
Sal Sansonetti, a former Olympian
and director of the company that developed the bike, said a huge
amount of design, testing and experience went into new bicycle.
“We looked at each element of
the frame and modeled the stresses and loads applied to it,”
Sansonetti said in the statement.
“We then chose the best
combination of carbon fiber grades and fiber orientation for each
individual element. It’s the same basic approach used in the
aerospace industry.”
The bicycles were tested in wind
tunnels so to develop optimal aerodynamic carbon frame shapes,
Sansonetti said.
“Based on feedback from the
Australian Institute of Sport and the Australian cycling team the
‘BT Blade’ continued to be refined until this final version
which weighs just 6.8 kilograms (15 pounds) complete.”
“The result is a frame free of
compromise and full of performance providing the Australian team
with the ultimate advantage,” Sansonetti said.
--AFP
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