{"id":65694,"date":"2025-08-14T05:40:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T05:40:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/65694\/"},"modified":"2025-08-14T05:40:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T05:40:16","slug":"the-fastest-bike-in-the-world-matthew-richardsons-hope-hb-t-for-his-200m-world-record-attempt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/65694\/","title":{"rendered":"The fastest bike in the world? Matthew Richardson\u2019s Hope HB.T for his 200m world record attempt\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Track sprinter Matthew Richardson will attempt to become the fastest cyclist of all time by breaking the 200m flying start world record tomorrow on board a custom Hope HB.T track bike.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Olympic silver medallist is one of three athletes aiming to set new records at a special event on Thursday 14 August organised by British Cycling at the Konya Velodrome, Turkey. Charlie Tanfield will attempt to break the hour record, and paracyclist Will Bjergfelt is taking on the C5 category hour record.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Richardson briefly broke the 200m flying start record at last year\u2019s Paris Olympic games before Dutchman Harrie Lavreysen broke it minutes later, setting a time of 9.088 seconds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Oliver Caddy, British Cycling\u2019s lead project engineer, said he is \u201csuper confident\u201d that Richardson will break the record. \u201cHe is one of the most motivated riders I\u2019ve met, and he\u2019s giving it his all,\u201d said Caddy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Richardson appeared to break Lavreysen\u2019s record at the Nations Cup at Konya velodrome in March, but the UCI did not ratify the effort because he drifted off the track, below the blue line.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere won\u2019t be any excuses\u201d\u00a0
\n\"TheThis will be the first time Richardson uses the wide fork on the Hope track bike. British Cycling<\/p>\n

Caddy joked that \u201cthere won\u2019t be any excuses\u201d if Richardson doesn\u2019t set a new record, and added that Richardson has \u201cgreat kit.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Caddy led the development of the Hope HB.T Paris bike<\/a> raced by Team GB at the Paris Olympics, and Richardson is using a modified version of this bike for his record attempt.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The fork on the bike used by Team GB in Paris was produced by Lotus, but Richardson\u2019s bike uses a new fork made by Hope. This fork means Hope now produces the complete frameset for Team GB\u2019s track cyclists.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The fork retains the same super-wide profile as Lotus\u2019s design but meets the wheel horizontally to improve aerodynamic drag, according to Caddy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"RichardsonRichardson celebrates after winning at the UCI Track Champions League in November 2024. Eurasia Sport Images \/ Getty Images. <\/p>\n

Richardson switched allegiance from Australia to Great Britain after the Olympics last year, and this will be the first time he uses a wide fork on his Hope track bike. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he first came to race for the team, we weren’t sure whether he’d be able to start to a standing start on the wide [fork] elements. We were pretty sure he was going to hit his knees,\u201d said Caddy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But as this record attempt is a flying start, Richardson can now use the super-wide design.<\/p>\n

3D-printed components from Renishaw\u00a0
\n\"3D-printedRenishaw’s split seatpost Scott Windsor \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

Richardson\u2019s bike is kitted out with components manufactured by Renishaw, an additive manufacturing specialist based in Wales, which also produces the Hope bike\u2019s wide seat stay bridge.<\/p>\n

The 26-year-old will use Renishaw\u2019s split seatpost<\/a>, which debuted at last year\u2019s Olympic Games. The unusual design channels air around the posts and the rider\u2019s legs, which Caddy described as a \u201cno-brainer\u201d but a \u201ctiny gain\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Caddy added that the post is only used for \u201cspecial occasions\u201d, like Richardson\u2019s record attempt, because different seat heights require a completely different post.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Renishaw\u2019s 3D-printed cranks on Richardson\u2019s bikes are also preserved for special occasions because they don\u2019t collect power data. But Caddy said British Cycling has developed a crank with the company that will incorporate a power meter<\/a>, and we can expect to see it at the Track World Championships later this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"RenishawThe cranks have a lattice structure to reduce weight and withstand the strength of sprinters like Richardson. Scott Windsor \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

Caddy explained that the crank is 3D-printed in two parts with a massive 50mm shaft \u2013 that\u2019s significantly bigger than the 24mm or 30mm spindles used on typical cranksets<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey’re definitely the best performing crank we’ve ever had in terms of spin,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Additive manufacturing also means Renishaw can create a lattice structure inside the crank, which helps them withstand up to 350kg of force on each arm.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Caddy said that people always concentrate on the driveside of cranks to optimise performance, leaving a crank arm that\u2019s like a \u201cblocky cylinder\u201d on the non-drive side. He said British Cycling worked with Renishaw to optimise the non-driveside of the crank \u2013 but he can\u2019t say what they did.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Caddy also worked closely with Richardson to develop the 3D-printed titanium handlebar, which is a version of the bar used by Team GB\u2019s sprinters in Paris.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMatt and I developed the bar in-house to [meet] his needs and ergonomics, with internal testing to find the best position for him,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Caddy also explained that they often paint the handlebars of the Hope track bike<\/a>, but Richardson\u2019s is unpainted because he wanted the raw titanium finish for grip.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"MatthewRichardson has a custom 3D-printed titanium handlebar. British Cycling <\/p>\n

This level of customisation is made possible through Caddy\u2019s close relationship with Renishaw and its expertise in 3D-printing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c3D-printing is just wizardry because you don\u2019t have to make a tool or wait for something to come back from China\u201d, said Caddy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we agree on a design with Renishaw, within a week I\u2019ve got something that\u2019s rideable on the track.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s revolutionised the way we get people comfortable and fast on bikes,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my baby and now it\u2019s illegal\u201d\u00a0
\n\"HopeNew UCI regulations will make the Hope bike, with its wide fork and seat stays, illegal. Scott Windsor \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

Alongside working with Richardson to fine-tune his bike, Caddy has had a bigger question on his mind.<\/p>\n

The UCI recently announced a swathe of tech regulation changes<\/a>, including new limits on internal fork width. Road bikes<\/a> will be limited to 115mm at the front and 145mm at the rear from 2026. The same limits will extend to track bikes from 2027 and will outlaw Hope\u2019s track bike with its wide fork and seat stays.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The UCI says the purpose of the tech regulations is to improve safety but Caddy said: \u201cWe\u2019ve never really been told what the safety risk is.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Whatever the risk is, Caddy said the decision is just a case of doing \u201cwhat we\u2019re told\u201d, even if that means saying goodbye to the Hope bike\u2019s radical design.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a hard thing to swallow,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s my baby, isn\u2019t it? And now it\u2019s illegal.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Track sprinter Matthew Richardson will attempt to become the fastest cyclist of all time by breaking the 200m…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":65695,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-65694","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-cycling","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65694","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65694"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65694\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}