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Athletes without the use of their lower body use cycles propelled by hand pedals in the road cycling events at the London 2012 Paralympics.

The tricycles sit low to the ground with one wheel at the front and two at the back to aid stability, and possible seating positions include sitting, kneeling or lying.

Custom knee/seat buckets are included in the Kneeler models used by the most able-bodied athletes, while Para Kneeler cycles designed for athletes with paraplegia have custom cages and adjustable kneel upholstery.

The pictured handcycles by Top End have frames built from reinforced aluminium and wheels made of carbon fibre.

Road cycling at the London 2012 Paralympics takes place at Brands Hatch, with time trials on Wednesday 5 September and races on Friday 7 September.

See all our stories about design for Paralympic athletes »

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Stabilising pontoons and specially designed seats are just some of the modifications that can be made to equipment used by rowers at the London 2012 Paralympics.

The hulls of the adaptive boats are identical to those used by able-bodied athletes, apart from the single scull that is wider.

Pontoons or floats may be fixed to the riggers to help athletes who can’t use the full lower body to balance the boats.

Seats in an adaptive single are high-backed and fixed into position to support the lower and upper back while in a double the seat is slightly lower backed to allow for trunk movement but is still fixed.

Rowers are restrained by velcro straps that allow for easy release in case of a capsize.

Athletes classified as visually impaired wear masks that cut out all light whilst on the water.

The Paralympic rowing finals take place at Eton Dorney on Sunday 2 September.

As part of a series of stories about Paralympic design we’ve also featured the Nike Spike Pad worn by Oscar Pistorius and racing wheelchairs used by David Weir and Shelly Wood at the games, and you can see all our stories about London 2012 here.

Here is some more information from British Rowing:

Equipment

Adaptive rowing challenges barriers to participation in the sport for individuals with learning, physical and sensory impairments, by providing opportunities supported by a range of technical and coaching resources.

Often you will find that there will be no need to fork out hundreds of pounds for new boats – it is possible to row in a normal boat with some of the following equipment and adaptions that are inexpensive and easy to use:

Boats

The hull of the adaptive boat is identical to able-bodied boats (with the exception of the single scull, which is a wider boat). In the Paralympics, all boats are standard boats, though in normal international adaptive rowing the LTA4+ is allowed to be slightly different. Stabilising pontoons (floats) may be fixed to the riggers of all the boats except the LTA4+.

Seats and straps

Seats in an adaptive double or single are different to the seats in an able-bodied boat (the seats in the LTA4+ are the same). In the single, a high-backed seat is used and fixed into position to support the lower and upper back. The rower is strapped to this seat to prevent trunk movement. In the double, the seat is slightly lower backed to allow for trunk movement but is still fixed.

Seats are also available to fit indoor rowing machines. Clamps can fix seats into a stable position and various protectors (such as gel protectors) will ensure there are no injuries caused by the fixed seats.

Gloves

To help athletes with limited hand function, gloves are available which help the athlete grip a blade or handle. These can be used in both indoor and on water rowing.

Restraints

Velcro restraints are used in racing to ensure that there is no leg or trunk movement as appropriate. These are always fixed with velcro so in the event of a capsize athletes can quickly remove the restraints. They can also be used in indoor rowing and outside racing to give increased support whilst using a seat.

Masks

To help ensure a fair and level playing field, athletes classified as visually impaired must wear a mask whilst on the water. This mask must cut out all light.

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The London 2012 Paralympics begin tonight and over the coming days we’ll be featuring a selection of cutting-edge sportswear designed for the competing athletes, starting with the Nike Spike Pad as worn by “Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorius.

South African double-amputee sprinter Pistorius previously used regular track spikes and had to glue or tape the plates onto his blades in a process that took a couple of hours before each race and meant they were never quite the same twice.

The Nike Spike Pad is designed to adhere directly to the Össur Flex-Foot Cheetah blades he wears, using just contact cement to reduce weight while maintaining strength and stability. It also takes only 30 minutes to attach both of them now.

Nike innovation director Tobie Hatfield developed the design over the course of several months by reviewing high-speed video of Oscar running on a treadmill to identify the impact point of his blades during each stride and get the spike receptacles in exactly the right positions for traction and consistent performance.

The spike plate is made of carbon fibre with a thermoplastic polyurethane coating, while the midsole pad comprises two pieces of foam with two different densities: softer at the back to cushion landing and harder at the front for take-off.

Pistorius has been using the Nike Spike Pad since February and is pictured here in tests at the Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon.

The Nike Spike Pad is also worn by Pistorius’ American rival Jerome Singleton and the two will go head-to-head in the T44 100 metres next week.

See all our stories about design for London 2012 »

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Dezeen Wire: host city for the 2016 Olympics Rio de Janeiro will be taking notes from the London 2012 Olympics – the most ‘temporary’ Games in history – to avoid the legacy of ‘white elephant’ sporting venues suffered by other former host cities including Athens and Beijing, reports Reuters.

Rio intends to build only nine permanent sites and six temporary venues, according to bid proposals sent to the International Olympic Committee, and is also considering having London’s Olympic basketball arena shipped to Brazil.

“London is being used as a blueprint and we’re working with a number of Olympic and World Cup bidding cities or host cities to take a similar approach,” said Christopher Lee, director at architecture firm Populous, which designed the London Olympic stadium.

Of London’s 34 Olympic venues, just eight are permanent new-build structures, and these will all be scaled down to seat smaller crowds at future events. Seven venues, including the 12,000-seat basketball arena, are temporary, while the rest already existed.

Other London Olympic venues could also be on their way to Glasgow for the Commonwealth Games in 2014, while over 4,000 tonnes of sand from the beach volleyball arena in Horse Guards Parade is to be given to six London community sports centres.

A report was recently published on the difficulties facing democratic nations when hosting the Olympics. Read our interview with the authors here.

See all our stories about the London 2012 Olympics »

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Dezeen Wire: plans to develop the London 2012 Olympic Park after the Games end in September were unveiled by mayor of London Boris Johnson yesterday, including the transformation of the press centre into a technology, design and research centre, and the creation of up to 8000 new homes in addition to the athletes’ village (+ movie).

The area will be renamed Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the first phase, the North Park, is set to open on 27 July 2013, exactly one year after the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

The second phase, South Plaza, will open in spring 2014 and include the main stadium and Aquatics Centre, which will open for public swimming.

Five new neighbourhoods are planned for the next 20 years, including schools, health centres, playgrounds and 102 hectares of open space.

Read more on the project website, see a 360 degree tour here or the Olympic Park Legacy Company’s brochure here.

See our interactive aerial photo of the Olympic Park here and see all our stories about the London 2012 Olympics here.

Here’s some more information from the Mayor of London’s office:

“A golden Games to be followed by an incredible legacy” says Mayor

After delivering what are expected to be the best Olympic Games ever London is now set to deliver an incredible legacy that will set the benchmark for future host cities to follow, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said today.

Even before the world had witnessed London’s incredible opening ceremony, followed by impressive organisation of the competitions, it had hit all its milestones on the road to the 2012 Games on time and budget. It had also secured the future of six out of the eight venues on the Olympic Park – something that had never been achieved before, with serious and credible plans on the table for the Olympic Stadium and the Press and Broadcast Centre.

Speaking at his London 2012 Legacy Press Conference he was joined by some of the major investors inspired by the opportunities the Games and the regeneration of east London are providing. This includes ICity who outlined their proposals for transforming the Park’s media centre into a technology, design and research centre with the potential to generate more than 4,000 jobs. This will build on the 10,000 jobs being delivered by Westfield Stratford City whose owners brought forward their investment plans for east London by at least 15 years after seeing the potential of the area from staging the 2012 Games.

What was once an industrial wasteland is also seeing private money from around the world transforming it into a brand new district of thriving communities with 10,000 new homes planned over the next 20 years served by new schools and medical facilities. Developers Taylor Wimpey and London & Quadrant explained how it will be building nearly 8000 new homes mainly for families as well as the brand new educational academy at Chobham Manor.

But the London 2012 legacy doesn’t end at the boundaries of the Olympic Park as the Mayor is continuing to promote the incredible investment opportunities across the capital including The Royal Docks, Silvertown Quays, Vauxhaull and Nine Elms as well as in riot-affected Tottenham and Croydon where the Mayor is investing £70 million from his regeneration fund. All these areas are benefitting directly and indirectly from the £6.5 billion upgrade of the capital’s transport network as it prepared to stage the Games and with the arrival of Crossrail in 2017 London will be the best connected city for business in the world.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “The doom and gloom merchants who said our great city would implode as we tried to stage the greatest show on earth have been proved wrong. And they will be proved wrong again as we use the catalyst of the games to attract investment into the wealth of opportunities arising in London now and in the coming years. Put simply there is no other place on the planet where investors will see greater returns.”

Daniel Moylan, Chairman of the London Legacy Development Corporation said: “Central London is moving east. Bringing the Games to east London has accelerated investment in an already growing area and now the world’s attention is focused on this fantastic part of the city.

“The Legacy Corporation, working with partners, will harness the momentum of the London Games to create a new piece of the city, bringing together the best of east London and the Olympic spirit to provide jobs, homes, schools, sports and entertainment opportunities to local residents, Londoners and visitors.”

Gavin Poole CEO iCity said: “We are really excited about the opportunity to transform the Press and Broadcast Centres into a world-class centre of technological innovation and enterprise. iCITY will create thousands of jobs, provide investment and highly advanced infrastructure for East London’s flourishing creative industries, and deliver a sustainable legacy for the local community, London and the UK.

Peter Redfern CEO Taylor Wimpey who were recently appointed to construct the first of five new neighbourhoods in the Olympic Park said: “We are delighted to have been chosen to deliver the first phase of new housing in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Taylor Wimpey are already one of the biggest contributors to new housing in London and our plans for Chobham Manor provide a unique opportunity to develop an exciting new residential quarter in one of the key growth areas of the UK.

Chobham Manor was designed with families in mind and will provide East London with much needed spacious homes designed by a team of signature architects. The exemplar design and sustainability credentials combined with the unprecedented transport connections and lifestyle amenities will provide a new residential address of the highest quality.

Speaking on behalf of Qatari Diar Delancey, appointed to transform the athletes village, Stuart Corbyn said “East Village will be a place for everybody to enjoy the best of city living; new homes will be joined by first class education, outstanding sports and leisure facilities, local shops, cafes and restaurants, and unrivalled connections to the rest of the capital. This will be one of the most exciting places to live in London.

East Village provides much needed homes, investment and jobs in East London, and reconfirms our long term commitment alongside Triathlon Homes to the local community, quality, partnership and sustainability.”

Transforming the Park

After the Games, the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) will begin a £300m construction project to transform the Olympic site into the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. This will involve removing temporary venues, transforming permanent venues into everyday use, building new roads and bridges and the first neighbourhood.

» The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will be an exciting new visitor destination. Iconic venues and attractions will sit alongside new homes, schools and businesses, amongst open green spaces and pieces of art in the heart of London’s East End.

» The new Park will open in phases from 27th July 2013, exactly one year after the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Games. The LLDC was set up three years before the Games in 2009.

» The Park will be 560 acres (226 hectares) in size, equivalent to Hyde Park or 357 football pitches.

Venues and Sport

» The future of six of the eight permanent venues has already been secured (Aquatics Centre, Orbit, Multi-Use Arena, Olympic Village, Velodrome, Eton Manor).

» We are in advanced stages of work to complete the remaining two (Stadium and the Press and Broadcast Centre).

» The Park offer sporting programmes for everything from grass roots community use to high performance competitions.

» Price pledge: the cost of a swimming in the Aquatics Centre or court hire in the Multi-use Arena will be the same as that of a local leisure centre.

Employment

» Up to 8,000 permanent jobs on the park by 2030 plus 2,500 temporary construction jobs

» Training and apprenticeships with a focus on opportunities for local people

» Venues such as the Press and Broadcast Centres have been developed so they can be adapted for commercial use after Games.

New Neighbourhoods

» Five new neighbourhoods developed over 20 years

» Up to 8,000 new homes in addition to the 2,800 in the athletes’ village

» A target of 35% affordable housing

» 3 schools

» 9 nurseries

» 3 health centres

» 29 playgrounds

Transport

» Best connected most accessible place in Europe.

» Direct connections to a third of London’s rail and underground stations.

» There are nine public transport lines feeding into Stratford station; after the Games this will increase to ten. This means that a train could arrive at the station every 15 seconds.

» By 2016, it’˙s estimated that the number of passengers using Stratford station each morning will reach 83,000.

Visitor Attraction

» Expected to become one of London’s Top 10 visitor destinations by 2020 attracting local, regional, national and international visitors.

» The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park could attract more than 9million visitors per year from across London, the UK and abroad from 2016.

Green Space

» Over 22 miles of interlinking pathways, waterways and cycle paths.

» 252 acres (102 hectares) of open space.

» 6.5 kms of rivers and canals running through the Park

» 111 acres (45 hectares) of biodiverse wildlife habitat on the Olympic Park, including reedbeds, grasslands, ponds and woodlands, with 525 bird boxes and 150 bat boxes.

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