Bradley Wiggins to be the next to attempt the UCI one-hour record
One man’s hell is becoming a bit of a walk in the park. OK, that’s rather simplifying matters, but it seems like the UCI one-hour record is up for renewal almost monthly now. Sir Bradley Wiggins, or “Wiggo” to his mates, will make his bid this coming Sunday at London’s Lee Valley VeloPark.
by Larry Humber
One man’s hell is becoming a bit of a walk in the park. OK, that’s rather simplifying matters, but it seems like the UCI one-hour record is up for renewal almost monthly now. Sir Bradley Wiggins, or “Wiggo” to his mates, will make his bid this coming Sunday at London’s Lee Valley VeloPark.
The 2012 Tour de France winner, and winner of seven Olympic medals, says he’s dreamed about the record since he was a boy. He went so far as to tell the UCI, “The hour record is a holy grail for cyclists. It’s been fought over tooth and nail by the greatest names in our sport for over a hundred years and it’s time for me to have a crack at it.” Indeed, the first to attempt it was none other than Tour de France founder Henri Desgrange. He managed a tad over 35 km in Paris back in 1893.
Wiggins will try to surpass the mark of fellow Brit Alex Dowsett, who cranked out nearly 53 km (52.937 km to be precise) in Manchester in early May to set the new standard. Dowsett outperformed Aussie Rohan Dennis, who etched his name in the history books earlier in the year. Both Germany’s Jens Voigt and Austria’s Matthias Brändle raised the bar in the fall of 2014.
The record has a hard-won history, mind you. The legendary Eddy “The Cannibal” Merckx said it was among his toughest challenges. He pedalled a record 49.431 km in Mexico City during his heyday in 1972 after training for months in his garage. He recollects that he could barely walk for days after. He never attempted it again.
There has been considerable controversy over the one-hour record in the years since, with equipment and riding styles—think two-time record holder Graeme Obree—the main concern of regulators. Obree even has a Canadian connection, as he was onboard when a team from the University of Toronto attempted to set a new human-powered speed record a few falls ago. Speaking of Canadian connections, the current mark for riders 75+ is held by Montrealer Giuseppe Marinoni, as seen in the documentary Marinoni.
As for Wiggins’ bid, it certainly has captured the imaginations of Londoners, as tickets for the event reportedly sold out in minutes when they went on sale back in mid April, all 6,000 seats snapped up at prices ranging from 29-49 English pounds (the pound is nearly double our dollar, by the way).
For those left in the dark, it can be seen live on British TV, too.
