After Mark Cavendish failed to place on the podium at the men's Olympic road race, the UK let out a sigh of disappointment. But there are plenty of other cycling events that Team GB will undertake, away from the road on the velodrome track.

And Adidas, the official sportswear partner of London 2012, has unveiled what it believes could be Team GB's track cyclists' secret weapon: "Adipower".

These tailor-made, battery-powered trousers - which are exclusive to the British team at London 2012 - are designed to be worn after warm-up in order to keep the core leg muscle groups warm before a key event.

The "hotpants" - the name given to the over-trousers by Team GB's cyclists, as led by Victoria Pendleton, Laura Trott and Geraint Thomas at the Adidas launch event - have heated pads positioned over the muscles to maintain the ideal 38C muscle temperature.

Pocket-lint spoke with Udo Müller, Adidas's senior technical marketing manager of innovation, who told us the importance of keeping muscles warm for the highest possible power output from the second the cyclists take to the track.

As there can be a significant waiting periods after warm-up, muscles cool down and any extra track time can add to athletes' fatigue.

Udo explained that the snazzy pants had been in development for four years, a collaborative effort between Adidas, British Cycling and Loughborough University.

Eighteen months of real-world testing via high-level cyclists provided the necessary feedback to design quick-release Velcro and zips so the athletes can ditch the garment "The Full Monty" style.

Watch the video to see Team GB's comments, and keep your eyes peeled to see the techy apparel in use before some of the upcoming track races.

We sure hope they'll help add to that gold-winning formula!

Battery-powered "hotpants"... Whatever next? What do you make of Adidas' Adipower and Team GB's cycling performance potential at London 2012?