The Guardian breaks down the UCI one-hour record’s history with “The perfect hour”

“It’s the greatest of all cycling records. And it will always be the greatest of all cycling records, because anybody can get on a bike and say, ‘Can I ride farther than Coppi? Can I ride farther than Merckx?'”

So declares Suze Clemitson, the author of 100 Tours 100 Tales, as she summarizes the appeal of the UCI one-hour record in a video published by The Guardian — a challenge that has seen an explosion in popularity since the 1990s, she adds. Despite its two decades of modern notability, though, its prestige dates back to the late 19th century, with accounts of 26 km being the record set on Frank Dodd’s penny farthing before the record’s breakout year of 1893. Long before the days of Coppi; long before those of Merckx.

It’s a simple challenge, pure in its essential cycling honesty: how far can you ride in an hour?

That year, Henri Desgrange set the first officially recognized one-hour record at Paris’s Buffalo Velodrome, riding 36 km in 60 minutes. Over the years, with the location shifting to Milan, Italy and the Velodromo Vigorelli, a new crop of riders raised the bar by another 10 km In 1935, Giuseppe Olmo rode 45 km. Seven years later, in 1942, it was Coppi’s turn with a record of 45.798 km, long before Merckx came along to shatter it in 1972, 2,300 metres above sea level in Mexico City.

Over the years, the rules have changed a couple of times. Most recently, in 2014, the standard that the record must be attempted with the same bare-bones equipment used by Mercx was changed by the UCI, allowing modern track bikes to be used with a few regulatory restrictions. Ever since, more and more athletes have attempted to up-end the records of old — and as Larry Humber wrote, Britain’s Bradley “Wiggo” Wiggins is the next to give it a shot this Sunday.

The Guardian’s video, meanwhile, is an excellent primer in the record’s wild, breakneck history.