The Swiss manufacturer has not yet officially commented on the new model. BMC has only announced that the time trial bike, including all technical details, will be presented on 20 February. Even before the race premiere at Challenge Mallorca, pictures and videos showing the bike for the first time appeared on the internet and in social networks. Stefan Küng was the only pro on the new bike at the second stage of Challenge Mallorca, with his team-mates around Marco Haller riding the Speedmachine.
The rear view of the nameless bike is particularly eye-catching, as BMC has flared the seat stays extremely wide. The design is somewhat reminiscent of the British national team's track bike, for which Hope, Lotus and Renishaw were responsible. In contrast to the HB.T, the distance between the seat stays is slightly smaller and they also start in a wide arc directly at the flat seat node and not above the top tube.
The reason: BMC must fulfil the technical regulations of the UCI cycling world federation with the new TT bike so that Küng & Co. can use it in racing. The "Guide de Clarification du Règlement Technique" states, among other things, that the inner sides of the seat stays may be a maximum of 145 millimetres apart.
The as yet unreleased BMC also takes up the concept at the front and leaves plenty of space between the fork blades. The concept is already familiar from the Teammachine Rwhich the Tudor team also uses. The bike manufacturer from Grenchen christened the striking design "Halo" and promised a reduction in air turbulence when it was unveiled in 2023. A comparable design is also known from the new Factor One.
According to a brief statement from BMC, the Tudor Pro Cycling Team was heavily involved in the development of the new time trial bike. Together with the so-called "Impec Lab", the research department of the Swiss company, a TT bike was created that is designed for high speeds in professional cycling. The Speedmachine, on the other hand, is positioned by the Swiss as a platform for triathletes.
Küng in particular could benefit from the new development. After all, the newcomer to Tudor is a specialist in the battle against the clock, with the Swiss rider taking his only stage win in the Tour de France to date in his favourite discipline. This year, the 32-year-old has marked 4 July on his calendar. That's when the Tour of France (until 26 July) starts in Barcelona with a team time trial. For Küng "an important highlight in my racing calendar", as he recently said in a media round.
Julian Schultz
Editor
