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.
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.
Richardson briefly broke the 200m flying start record at last year’s Paris Olympic games before Dutchman Harrie Lavreysen broke it minutes later, setting a time of 9.088 seconds.
Oliver Caddy, British Cycling’s lead project engineer, said he is “super confident” that Richardson will break the record. “He is one of the most motivated riders I’ve met, and he’s giving it his all,” said Caddy.
Richardson appeared to break Lavreysen’s 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.
“There won’t be any excuses”
Caddy joked that “there won’t be any excuses” if Richardson doesn’t set a new record, and added that Richardson has “great kit.”
Caddy led the development of the Hope HB.T Paris bike raced by Team GB at the Paris Olympics, and Richardson is using a modified version of this bike for his record attempt.
The fork on the bike used by Team GB in Paris was produced by Lotus, but Richardson’s bike uses a new fork made by Hope. The fork retains the same super-wide profile as Lotus’s design but meets the wheel horizontally to improve aerodynamic drag, according to Caddy.
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.
“When 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,” said Caddy.
But as this record attempt is a flying start, Richardson can now use the super-wide design.
3D-printed components from Renishaw
Richardson’s bike is kitted out with components manufactured by Renishaw, an additive manufacturing specialist based in Wales, which also produces the Hope bike’s wide seat stay bridge.
The 26-year-old will use Renishaw’s split seatpost, which debuted at last year’s Olympic Games. The unusual design channels air around the posts and the rider’s legs, which Caddy described as a “no-brainer” but a “tiny gain”.
Caddy added that the post is only used for “special occasions”, like Richardson’s record attempt, because different seat heights require a completely different post.
The Renishaw’s 3D-printed cranks on Richardson’s bikes are also preserved for special occasions because they don’t collect power data. But Caddy said British Cycling has developed a crank with the company that will incorporate a power meter, and we can expect to see it at the Track World Championships later this year.
Caddy explained that the crank is 3D-printed in two parts with a massive 50mm shaft – that’s significantly bigger than the 24mm or 30mm spindles used on typical cranksets.
“They're definitely the best performing crank we've ever had in terms of spin,” he said.
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.
Caddy said that people always concentrate on the driveside of cranks to optimise performance, leaving a crank arm that’s like a “blocky cylinder” on the non-drive side. He said British Cycling worked with Renishaw to optimise the non-driveside of the crank – but he can’t say what they did.
Caddy also worked closely with Richardson to develop the 3D-printed titanium handlebar, which is a version of the bar used by Team GB’s sprinters in Paris.
“Matt and I developed the bar in-house to [meet] his needs and ergonomics, with internal testing to find the best position for him,” he said.
Caddy also explained that they often paint the handlebars of the Hope track bike, but Richardson’s is unpainted because he wanted the raw titanium finish for grip.
This level of customisation is made possible through Caddy’s close relationship with Renishaw and its expertise in 3D-printing.
“3D-printing is just wizardry because you don’t have to make a tool or wait for something to come back from China”, said Caddy.
“If we agree on a design with Renishaw, within a week I’ve got something that’s rideable on the track.
“It’s revolutionised the way we get people comfortable and fast on bikes,” he said.
“It’s my baby and now it’s illegal”
Alongside working with Richardson to fine-tune his bike, Caddy has had a bigger question on his mind.
The UCI recently announced a swathe of tech regulation changes, including new limits on internal fork width. Road bikes 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’s track bike with its wide fork and seat stays.
The UCI says the purpose of the tech regulations is to improve safety but Caddy said: “We’ve never really been told what the safety risk is.”
Whatever the risk is, Caddy said the decision is just a case of doing “what we’re told”, even if that means saying goodbye to the Hope bike’s radical design.
“It’s a hard thing to swallow,” he said. “It’s my baby, isn’t it? And now it’s illegal.”
