At the upper echelon of any competitive sport, the level of competition is so fierce that even the slightest possible advantage must be pursued its most logical (and absurd) extent. For Trek World Racing, this means adapting a common F1 strategy to heat things up on the track.
In the majority of motor sports, mechanics warm specific components for optimum performance right off the line. Hell, even in the go kart version of little league, parents use special heating pads to evenly heat tires to operating temperature. After compiling data and studying the performance of the Session in cold temperatures, the team decided that warming the bike would improve suspension, hydraulic, and tire performance.
A portable HotBox was created that can be erected at the top of the mountain for specific courses where the temperature is cold enough to affect performance. According to Team Owner Martin Whitely “there’ll be some who think this is going too far, but there are those who said that in motor-sport some time ago and now it’s the norm.”
For more info, visit WhistlerMountainBike.com
