These insane track bikes just broke two world records, and the UCI wants them gone

Both Bjergfelt and Richardson succeeded in their attempts, with Tanfield falling short of Ganna's 56.792km. Bjergfelt covered 51.471km and Richardson completed the 200 at an average of 80.5km/h in a time of 8.941 seconds.

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.

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."

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

Will Bjergfelt and Charlie Tanfield's Pursuit setup