Britain’s Olympic sailors will be pedal-powered in Japan thanks to a new partnership with the British e-bike company Gocycle.
The Britain’s Olympic sailors team have joined forces with Gocycle to provide a fleet of the latest folding e-bikes to help athletes and support staff get to and from their team base in Hayama to the sailing venue in Enoshima.
The specially-branded Gocycle GX bikes provide electric assistance up to 15.5mph and a 40-mile range, providing the team with an effective, eco-friendly way of getting to and from the venue, around nine miles away.
Gocycle’s mission has always clear: to create the world’s best urban electric bikes. A task which began in earnest in 2002 when former McLaren Cars Limited design engineer Richard Thorpe established his own business, Karbon Kinetics, to embark upon creating his two-wheeled electric dream. Seventeen years on and that dream is a reality with the Gocycle brand renowned the world over for its innovative products, stylish designs and pioneering spirit.
Following the launch of the ground-breaking lightweight Gocycle G1 to international acclaim in 2009, the business has continued to push boundaries with each of its three new models. The Gocycle G2 entered the market in 2012 becoming the first production electric bike to have Bluetooth connectivity in the process. It was followed by the Gocycle G3 in 2016, which debuted an automotive inspired Daytime Running Light (DRL) – yet another industry first – and the Gocycle GS in 2017.
2019 was another exciting year for the business with the launch of the fast-folding Gocycle GX. The award-winning GX is capable of being folded and stowed in under 10 seconds making it the perfect travel companion. 2020 will see the arrival of the fast-folding GXi, which will be the most rider-focused urban e-bike yet.
Gocycle GX
The fast-folding Gocycle GX has gone on to become the fastest-selling Gocycle ever since its debut in the middle of 2019. The GX is the perfect urban travel companion combining an excellent ride with the capability of being folded and stowed into a compact package in under 10 seconds. Once folded it can be rolled along on its two wheels making it incredibly versatile and easy to live with. The GX is the most critically acclaimed folding e-bike of the last 12 months, being crowned ‘Electric Bike of the Year’ by T3 Magazine, and gaining plaudits across the globe.
As well as presenting a greener alternative to car travel, the collaboration with Gocycle also fits with the team’s drive to push the boundaries of technology.
Pursuit of perfection
Richard Thorpe, Gocycle designer and founder, said: “At Gocycle we are driven by the pursuit of perfection, taking a no compromises approach to develop the most thoughtfully designed e-bikes on the market. It’s a real honour to have the opportunity to support athletes who are operating at an elite level in a team that is renowned for high performance – we hope that we can play a small part in helping them to success in Tokyo!
“The fast-folding GX is the perfect model for the team. It provides exceptional comfort levels and riding dynamics while being capable of being folded into a compact package in just ten seconds for ease of storage when not in use.”
The Gocycle GX is a befitting model for Britain’s Olympic sailors, the most successful Olympic team of all time – it has won multiple awards including T3 Magazine’s Electric Bike of the Year and received plaudits from some of the world’s most respected media outlets.
“As a champion of technology and sustainability, Gocycle is a great match for the British Sailing Team,” said Ian Walker, RYA Director of Racing.
“Their e-bikes will enable our British sailors to minimise physical effort in the heat and humidity of Japan, while the fact that they fold will allow for easy transportation and storage. We’re thrilled to have Gocycle onboard.”
The GX is also one of the most sustainable e-bikes on the market too – its patented CleanDrive and PitstopWheels are produced using magnesium which is much easier to get hold of and recycle than other materials, while the production process is environmentally friendly too, not creating any ozone depleting emissions.