Video: Dennis talks about his Hour Record attempt

Image 1 of 4

Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing) has revealed he felt obliged to take on the Hour Record after ‘shooting his mouth off’ about it at the World Championships last September.

Dennis previously had no intentions on making an attempt but the Australian confidently told his team that he could beat Jens Voigt’s initial benchmark set just three days before the Worlds began in Ponferrada. It was a throwaway comment but it sparked months of preparation and Dennis will attack the Hour Record on February 8 in Grenchen, Switzerland.

“I wasn’t too keen on doing it but now they’ve changed the rules to the normal time trial position and then Jens came out and did it,” Dennis said in a video interview with BMC Switzerland. “I shot my mouth off a little bit at Worlds. I said I could beat his time and that’s where it sort of started. Stefano, Marco and Allan said maybe you should try it. I thought, if some of the biggest names in the world are doing it then I may as well do it myself.”

The number of riders attempting the Hour Record continues to grow and Dennis won’t be the first to try in 2015. His compatriot Jack Bobridge is set to take it on at the end of January, with Alex Dowsett still likely to make his attempt despite recently fracturing his collarbone. Dennis is currently riding the Tour Down Under.

Watch the full video here and to subscribe to the Cyclingnews video channel, click here