Today, just prior to the start of the 2012 Amgen Tour of California, Trek unveiled a Jens Voigt themed paint scheme for the world’s most mythic hardman to race. The bike is the work of Trek’s Creative Design Studio, and the Trek Race Shop.
The graphics scheme “Shut up Legs” builds upon one of Voigt’s popular post-race quotes, which is printed on the top tube.
Trek say the quote reminds Voigt of his hardman’s philosophy to control his body with his mind, but we all know he’s a rider who needs no reminder. “I was thrilled when Trek said they wanted to do a bike for me,” said Voigt. “We went back and forth about the theme and I talked a lot about the way I approach racing and going for the attack and we came up with this really cool wolf theme. It’s pretty aggressive but I feel like it fits.”
The wolf’s head is emblazoned on the seat and head tubes, and Trek have incorporated statistics from Voigt’s long career as a professional cyclist, with the numbers hidden inside the fork legs and within the down tube logo.
Trek see Voigt as a leader in his pack
“We wanted to incorporate some of the accomplishments of his huge career so we asked Jens to talk about his career and to list some interesting statistics from his years on a bike,” said Trek VP Joe Vadeboncoeur. “He came back with the standard stuff, ‘64 pro wins, 15 years as a pro, 35 wins as an amateur’ but what was really unique, and this just speaks to who Jens is; was that he included things like ‘100 crashes, 11 broken bones, 25 screws or pins, 1300 kg of pasta eaten’. It was an amazing list that he had kept and we've incorporated all of it into the details of the bike.”
Voigt will race the bike at the Amgen Tour of California and Trek will display a replica at their expo space at each stage finish.
Voigt’s bike is the latest edition in a line of rider-inspired paint schemes crafted by Trek’s in-house Creative Design Studio. Last year during the 2011 Tour de France, Trek unveiled limited-edition paint schemes for Frank and Andy Schleck as well as the popular “Spartacus” bike for Fabian Cancellara. Voigt’s past teammate Levi Leipheimer and current teammate Chris Horner have also ridden custom ATOC-themed bikes for past editions of the race.
The weeklong Amgen Tour of California starts in Santa Rosa, CA Sunday 13 May and runs through 20 May. BikeRadar will be on site with tech coverage, while Cyclingnews.com will provide daily race coverage and features.
Trek made two 'Shut Up Legs' bikes: one for Voigt to ride, and the other to show at the ATOC expo
