万花筒 2008-06-06&-06-07（在线收听）

If Dutch cycle champion Theo Bos takes gold in the Beijing velodrome this summer, it won't be as a result of talent alone. The 24-year-old Olympic silver medalist is hoping this uniquely-designed million-dollar bike will help him take top honors in two months' time. The revolutionary frame has been developed by Dutch cycle maker Koga Miyata. The company's managing director Wouter Jager said the bike was so specialized that no ordinary person could ride it.

"It's so stiff that it doesn't behave like a normal bicycle, and obviously the strange element is this, this bicycle doesn't have a brake, doesn't have a gear, er, this is single-speed, there's no lightset or whatever, but still it's the, the most difficult bike to ride."

Koga has spent three and a half years developing the bike for Bos who narrowly missed out on the gold medal in Athens four years ago. The company enlisted the help of experts in the aerodynamics and carbon technology sectors, including several who've worked on the Ariane-5 space rocket program. The result is a racing bike with a sleek aerodynamic look. Kimera has the lowest air resistance of any bike in the world to help the rider accelerate as quickly as possible from a standstill to its top speed of 75 kilometers per hour. And this unique feature, Koga says, should enable Bos to pedal his way to the gold medal.

Helen Long, Reuters

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velodrome——A sports arena with a banked oval track for bicycle and motorcycle racing.