Kerin writes "The Australian track cycling team has placed its faith in a new, stronger lightweight super-bike which has done away with conventional handlebars in its bid for Atlanta medals. The new super-bike "Mach Five", the results of collaboration between the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and the Australian Institute of Sport, was unveiled and put through its paces by world junior 2000 metre individual pursuit champion Narelle Peterson at the Adelaide Superdrome yesterday with the verdict a positive one.
RMIT's Olympic Bike Project leader Lachlan Thompson said the new design required five per less effort at a given speed than a conventional tubular frame bicycle. Replacing the convetional handlebars with carbon fibre hand grips attached off the front forks had also improved control over steering. The bike is the latest in a 3 year $300,000 program to develop the ultimate competition cycle which began in 1993 with the composite monocoque shell to reduce drag.
Australia's top medal chances, Kathy Watt [bill notes: ha! if they led her ride!!], Shane Kelly, Brad McGee and Stuart Grady, have already shattered world and Games records on earlier versions of the bike. WIth the US reportedly spending up to $12 million developing its Olympic bike and the French and Italians yet to unveil their designs for the Olympics, track cycling team manager, Michael Turtur [bill notes: one of the LA Team Pursuit Gold Medallists] said yesterday Australia needed any technological edge it could gain.
Turtur said the Australian team had been trialling the new bike in Germany for more than a week in preparation for the Games and the riders were quite confident with it.
He said "It's what we believe to be one of the best bikes available in the world today. We'll never get away from the fact you have to have the athlete to make it happen but likewise you have to have the equipment to compete at the top level. In a sport where medals can be decided by 100ths of a second and even smaller margins, the difference in bikes could be a telling factor.