High-tech material in cycling race

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High tech equipment plays an important role in the world of competitive sports. Then how making use of good fabric and materials can help cyclists perform even better.

It's the men's cycling final for the one-kilometer time trial at the 11th National Games. A cyclist can reach a speed of 70 kilometers per hour. And during the road race, the highest speed can reach 130 kilometers per hour. That requires a racing bicycle that is of a low weight, high strength and low thermal expansion.

To meet these strict requirements, carbon fiber is an ideal material which is widely used in competitive sports such as F1 racing cars and cycling bikes. But, these enhanced features mean that the products are expensive. An average racing bike sells for over ten thousands yuan.

To decrease windage, a racing bike is designed without spokes, and the cyclist needs to lean on the bike during the competition. A field cycling bike does not even have brakes in order to reduce the weight of a bike. So the athlete can't come to an immediate halt.

Shandong's team members compete during the men's team  pursuit final in the 11th Chinese National Games in  Jinan, east China's Shandong Province, Oct. 20, 2009.  Shandong team clocked 4 minutes and 07.507 seconds to  claim the champion. (Xinhua/Li Ga)

And a cyclist's kit can also help decrease the windage with highly resistant fabric. This means that a professional cyclist's gear usually involves long rather than short sleeves.

China's cyclists are equipped with world class products. And the national team's next goal is to research and develop high tech products according to the individual characteristics of the competitors.