(from left) Axelle Etienne of Latvia and Vineta Peterson of France who is BMX athletes at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics

ITS Campus, ITS News – Bikes with the Thrill brand made by the nation’s children were on the rise when they were seen being ridden by BMX athletes from France and Latvia at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics some time ago. Behind its popularity, it turns out that there are hands from the alumni of the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh November (ITS) who helped design and develop the Thrill branded bicycle.

The two Tokyo 2020 Olympic BMX athletes who use bicycles produced by PT Indonesia Bike Works are Vineta Peterson from Latvia and Axelle Etienne from France. European BMX riders have widely used the Thrill-branded bicycle in BMX championships, including several UCI World Cup and World Championship series, the highest competition caste for world BMX riders.

Bagus Chalid A Rahman, Research and Development (RnD) staff of PT Indonesia Bike Works, who is one of ITS alumni, said that the bike that showed off at the prestigious sporting event was a Thrill BMX Havoc Pro XL product, which is an upgraded version of the Havoc series. previously, which began production in 2014. “I, who is an RnD staff member, was directly involved in upgrading the design of the Havoc pro-XL series that was used at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,” he said proudly.

Bagus Chalid A Rahman, Research and Development (RnD) staff of PT Indonesia Bike Works, one of ITS alumni who is involved in producing Thrill branded bicycles

According to Bagus, the Havoc Thrill series is specifically designed for BMX bicycle racing that uses hydroforming alloy technology so that the bike has a lightweight and aerodynamics when used for racing. “In addition, the application of the right and appropriate geometry calculation allows the rider to get maximum performance when competing,” he explained.

Bagus admitted that he was very proud of Thrill’s achievements that he was trusted by foreign athletes at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He also said that after going viral on social media, the bicycle made by Gresik has increased in demand and is currently sold out. “The manufacture of these bicycles, from design, production, to marketing, is done 100 percent by local workers, and many of the RnD staff of PT Indonesia Bike Works are ITS alumni,” said Bagus.

The man who graduated from the ITS Product Design Department also told of the beginning of the Thrill branded bicycle to show off at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. According to him, Thrill BMX initially supported local BMX athletes who took part in international sports events such as the Sea Games, Asian Games, and world-class BMX championships. then the local athlete managed to climb the podium. “That’s where the Thrill bike started to be noticed by foreign athletes,” he explained.

In the future, the 2014 alumni hope that the Thrill as a bicycle made by Indonesian children can develop and make Indonesia proud abroad. “More than that, hopefully, this Thrill bike can compete with foreign products so that the Indonesian people can be proud of the products made in Indonesia that are worldwide,” he hoped optimistically. (ITS Public Relation)

Reporter: Tyara Novia Andhin