In 2002 Duratec forms a partnership with a handicapped sportsman Jiří Ježek. At that time, neither of the parties anticipates how important, long-term and fruitful cooperation it would be. Jiří wins the gold medal on the Paralympic Games in Athens on a bike made by Duratec – the brand he is inherently linked to in the next years. He becomes the face and the main representative of the company and his achievements on the racing field emphasize the strength of the cooperation.
In 2003, the offer of frames is enriched with tandem frames which are scarce on the market and Duratec is able to design geometries that are brought into accord with the seats of both riders. Road, track, trekking and mtb tandems are put into offer. These specials are ridden by the Czech, Slovak, Polish and Dutch representation and the model enjoys a great popularity.
In 2004 Duratec starts to flirt with carbon and a new type of material used for building frames. Development, gathering information, and arranging material become the main priorities. It is necessary to stick to the philosophy and build tailored bikes. Testing procedures are carried on, development runs at full tilt and everything is put to good use in 2005 when the first alu-carbon road model Duratec Heroine CR1 is launched.
