Eric at Trek just sent these over with the following note:
We just finished painting up Ben King’s U.S. Champion Trek Madone, commemorating Ben’s amazing ride at last year’s US Pro Cycling Championship. (These) are photos of the bike that Ben will be riding during his debut year in the pro peloton.
Full PR and more photos of the bike after the break…
As the youngest reigning U.S. National Road Champion to date, Ben King knows a thing or two about riding fast. At only 21, the soft-spoken Virginian’s race resume includes numerous Pan-American and U-23 Road and TT Championships, in addition to the National Road title he currently holds. He’s the kind of rider race fans will want to pay close attention to this season, and thanks to his special-edition Stars and Stripes Trek Madone, picking Ben out of a crowd shouldn’t be too tough.
“A spectacular ride like the one Ben unleashed in the championships last year deserves a special bike,” remarked Nick Howe, Global Road and Tri Brand Manager at Trek. “We take great pride in continuing to manufacture bikes in the U.S. It’s an absolute honor for us to highlight Ben’s accomplishment and putting the stars and stripes on one of our bikes really carries special meaning.”
The one-off paint scheme on King’s Team-issued Trek Madone 6 Series SSL certainly helps set it apart from his teammates’, but underneath the stars and stripes lies the same Tour de France-winning geometry and weapons-grade OCLV Carbon technology utilized by every 6 Series Trek Madone.
King cut his professional cycling teeth on the developmental Trek-LIVESTRONG U-23 team throughout 2009 and 2010, topping off his career in black and yellow with an impressive solo victory at last year’s U.S. National Road Championships against a roster of some of the most prestigious American Pro Tour veterans. This year, King made his professional debut with Team RadioShack and is hoping to help his new team take home a win at the 2011 Tour of California. You can follow Ben King and his RadioShack teammates throughout the 2011 race calendar by visiting www.teamradioshack.com.
While currently there aren’t any plans to offer the Stars and Stripes paint scheme through Trek’s custom bike program, Project One, cycling fans shouldn’t completely discount the possibility. “Right now there is only one way to snag a bike with this paint scheme,” continued Howe, “You have to earn it.”
