Since the Hour Record bike regulations were simplified by the UCI in May 2014, there has been a rash of attempts on the title – and among those leg-burning, all-out efforts, we've had some gorgeous bikes to drool over.
So far we've covered the machines of Jens Voigt, Matthias Brändle, Jack Bobridge, Rohan Dennis, Dame Sarah Storey and current record holder Alex Dowsett.
This year, we're looking forward to seeing Sir Bradley Wiggins take on the Hour on 7 June, while Tony Martin has also expressed interest. There's always the hope that we'll finally see Fabian Cancellara have a go too.
Hour Record Bikes
Jens Voigt's Trek Speed Concept
Jens Voigt was the first to attempt the Hour Record after the rule change and managed an impressive 51.115km in September 2014, beating Ondrej Sosenka’s old-equipment record by over 1km.
Matthias Brändle cited Voigt's influence on him as a big factor in his choice to take on the Hour Record, which was hopefully some comfort to the German veteran when the youngster beat the record by 757m.
Australian Jack Bobridge was the next to attempt the record, but fell about 500m short of the mark set by Brändle. His 51.852km was enough to beat a 15-year old national record though.
Australian pride was soon restored by Rohan Dennis, who managed to overhaul Brändle's record by 639m in February, posting a new world record of 52.491km.
The most recent athlete to attempt the Hour Record after Dennis was Thomas Dekker, with the Dutchman having a crack at the BMC rider's record on 25 February in Mexico. Dekker was unable to bottle the same magic as Eddy Merckx's hour-beating success in Mexico and failed match the Australian's record, setting a distance of 52.221km, just 270m short.
Despite a broken collarbone disrupting his preparation, British star Alex Dowsett broke the World Hour Record on 2 May, his mammoth total of 52.937km outdoing Dennis by 442m.
Bradley Wiggins has already committed to put the World Hour Record 'out of reach' when he makes his attempt in London on 7 June. "I've got 55km in my head and I believe that's realistic," he told. "And I think if I do that it will stand for 20 years."
The Times
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The Team WIGGINS founder will be using a bike from sponsor Pinarello, but the actual model and any track-specific alterations are yet to be revealed.
Paralympic hero Dame Sarah Storey took on the women's Hour Record in front of a packed crowd at the London Olympic Velodrome, but fell short of the 46.065km set by Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel in 2003. The Brit did set a new national record of 45.502km in the process, which was also enough to set C5 and Masters records.
