On Thursday, three athletes from the GB Cycling Team headed to the Konya Velodrome in Turkey, each with a world record in their sights.
Will Bjergfelt, para-cyclist and road world champion, took on the C5 class World Hour Record; sprinter Matt Richardson, who famously switched from representing Australia to Great Britain after the 2024 Olympics, took on the Flying 200; while Charlie Tanfield, Olympic Games Silver Medallist in the Team Pursuit, faced Filippo Ganna's World Hour Record.
Interestingly, they all did so using the same model of bike, the Hope HB.T, adapted to their preferences and discipline.
What's also interesting is that, as things stand, this bike will be deemed illegal by the sport's governing body, the UCI, from January 2027, as a result of proposed changes to the rules governing the width of the forks and seatstays.
The Hope HB.T - this one belonging to Matt Richardson - features ultra-wide fork legs and seat stays, which are designed to be in line with the rider's legs for an aerodynamic improvement. (Image credit: SW Pix)
Soon to be banned
In a statement issued on June 12, which included rule changes surrounding handlebar width and wheel depth too, the UCI said:
"For bicycles used in the road (as of 1 January 2026) and track (as of 1 January 2027) disciplines, only a maximum internal fork width of 115 mm at the front and 145 mm at the rear (measured along the entire length of the front fork and rear triangle) will be permitted."
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Hope's marketing manager, Robin Godden, confirmed to Cyclingnews at the time that "It does affect the Hope [HB.T] bike, as it falls outside of those measurements on both the fork and rear stays."
He also added that the announcement "caught us by surprise."
There has been significant push back on the suggested rule changes, which came after a brief period of consultation with industry experts at the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI).
There has been particularly strong opposition to the handlebar width rules, whereby smaller riders, particularly women, would be forced to ride in an uncomfortable, even unsafe position, in order to conform to the rules.
Wheel brand and sponsor of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, SwissSide, also issued an open letter slamming the rules, which will make its brand new wheelset UCI-illegal just months after their launch. The brand also added “the total cost for such a development is a six-figure sum (EUR), and is amortised by the sale of the product, typically over a four-year product life cycle.”
So while there is some rumour of the UCI backpedalling on the proposed amendments, the Hope HB.T used by the British trio is facing a slow demise.
Given the rules won't come into force on the track until 2027, this isn't the final time we'll see it on the boards, but it's certainly worth celebrating every time we do.
Matt Richardson's Sprint setup
To get up to speed and then ride at an average of 80.5km/h, Matt Richardson's bike must have been put under some immense stress and torque. (Image credit: SW Pix)
The frame is the Hope HB.T, updated slightly ahead of the Paris Olympics. The gearing is unconfirmed, but he used a small-pitch chain, likely with 100+ teeth up front and around 20 at the rear. (Image credit: SW Pix)
The bike is fitted with odd wheels, with a Princeton Carbonworks Track Special up front and a Campagnolo Ghibli 0.9 at the rear. (Image credit: SW Pix)
Notably, these are tubeless wheels, fitted with Continental GP5000 TT TR tyres, rather than tubulars which are more commonly found in track sprint events. The extreme G-force experienced when banking around a track at 80km/h means the tyres need to be at extremely high pressures, often higher than tubeless tyres can handle, but Richardson's mechanics have clearly made it work. (Image credit: SW Pix)
It features a host of 3D-printed components, including the cockpit, chainset, and seatpost. The cockpit on Richardson's bike is all about aerodynamics, and as with all track bikes, the fixed gear negates any need for brake levers or shifters creating a super clean front end. (Image credit: SW Pix)
It's hard to make out from the previous image, but this angle shows how steeply they rise from the centre outwards. (Image credit: SW Pix)
It's unclear exactly what width these bars are, but you'll see in the image below, they're very narrow. This image also shows the width of the forks, and how they line up with the pedals behind. (Image credit: SW Pix)
Despite narrow bars being targeted by the UCI, they will remain legal in individual track events such as the Flying 200. Only 'Mass Start' track races, such as the Madison, will be affected by the ban. (Image credit: SW Pix)
The seat stay bridge is so wide, there's enough space to print 'M.Richardson' across it. (Image credit: SW Pix)
Above the seat stay, this seatpost is also made by Renishaw. It's hard to make out here, but it splits into two to create a hole between the rider's legs, for a marginal aerodynamic gain. (Image credit: SW Pix)
Will Bjergfelt and Charlie Tanfield's Pursuit setup
Next up, the pursuit version, and this is Will Bjergfelt's bike, complete with Princeton Carbonworks wheels front and rear, the same GP 5000 TT TR tyres, and Renishaw components throughout. (Image credit: SW Pix)
Renishaw is a British engineering company that works across various industries, including aerospace, medical and automotive. (Image credit: SW Pix)
It's assumed that Renishaw made the cockpit for Bjergfelt and Tanfield's bikes too. (Image credit: SW Pix)
This is Tanfield's bike, with a Jcob Type 5 saddle slammed as far rearward on the rails as possible, and a pair of Speedplay Aero pedals. (Image credit: SW Pix)
Bjergfelt's bike, meanwhile, had a 3D-printed Fizik Transiro saddle, and a pair of Wahoo Speedplay Power Meter pedals. Both used the same aerobars, but Bjergfelts was angled higher with round finger grips, while Tanfield's were angled flatter, with slightly different grips. (Image credit: SW Pix)
All three riders used GB kit sponsored by Ale. (Image credit: SW Pix)
Bjergfelt's gearing has been confirmed as 83 x 20. (Image credit: SW Pix)
Here's a closer look at that seatpost, which splits into two narrow fairings with a hole between. (Image credit: SW Pix)
The HB.T is an insane bike, so let's celebrate that, as it could be a dying breed. (Image credit: SW Pix)
Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews – leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton. He has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he's covered everything from buyer's guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews.
On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years. He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000. These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, 'cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.
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