TOKYO TECH Top track bikes at the Izu Velodrome
The cycling arms race in the four years building up to the Olympics often looks neck-and-neck, with no nation ready to launch their secret weapon until they can be absolutely sure it can’t be stolen and copied.
In 1992 Team GB snuck rather than launched the revolutionary Lotus 108 into a low-key meet at Leicester in May, hoping it wouldn’t attract too much attention. Other nations were unaware of its full potential until Chris Boardman broke the Olympic pursuit record on it in qualifying.
“Team GB’s bike is the most radical”
The latest Team GB Lotus bike arrived with considerably more fanfare, befitting our status as the world’s number-one track-cycling nation, but little did we know that we would have to wait another whole year for the Tokyo Olympics. It’s fascinating to wonder what might have happened if another national federation had decided
