Bobridge to attempt Hour Record in January

Jack Bobridge has announced that he will attempt to break the Hour Record on Saturday, 31 January, at the Darebin International Sports Centre in Melbourne. The current world Hour Record of 51.852km, is held by Matthias Brändle (IAM Cycling) which Bobridge is confident  of bettering.

"I think it's great that everyone is starting to put their hand up for it. It makes it more interesting," Bobridge said. "I'm aiming to set a benchmark that leaves everyone questioning themselves about whether they want to do it or not.

"At this point I can see myself beating the current hour record but it's how much further I can go that will be decided on the day."

In September, Jens Voigt became the first rider to crack 50 kilometers ridden in the world hour record since the UCI modified the rules earlier in the year only to see Brändle break the record a month later.

Bobridge won his first senior track world title in 2010 in the team pursuit and claimed the bronze medal in the individual pursuit. One year later and Bobridge was not only the individual pursuit world champion but also the world record holder in the discipline.

"I never thought I would break Boardman's individual pursuit record, I don't think anyone thought I'd beat it", said Bobridge who was the Commonwealth Games gold medallist in the IP in 2014 and 2010.

The 25-year-old's preparation for the Hour Record attempt will see him race the time trial at the Australian national championships on January 8 and then "hopefully the Tour Down Under, if I get selected for the UniSA team," all under the guidance of Cycling Australia's High Performance Unit Men's Track Endurance Coach Tim Decker.

"He's the world individual pursuit record holder so the hour is an obvious choice," said Decker. "I have no doubt that he can do it. You look at his four-kilometre time and you look at what is possible over an hour, Jack should be able to well surpass the current record."

Decker added that Bobridge's attempt will be another worthy addition to a busy summer of cycling and will attract new crowds to the sport.

"It captures people's imagination to see how far you can go in one hour. People from outside of cycling will look at it and think 'wow, that's a long way in one hour on a bike'. Jack is going to tackle this in Jack Bobridge fashion,' he said. "He's unlimited. He's just going to go for it. I think it will be really exciting and you'll definitely see him in a lot of pain, particularly in the last 10-minutes.

With fellow Australian Rohan Dennis also announcing his ambition to break the record and the British duo of Alex Dowsett and Bradley Wiggins putting their names forward, the event is well and truly alive said Decker.

"I think it's great that Rohan is having a go. Plus the two Brits potentially having a go at it. Australia versus Great Britain. The rivalry just carries on."

Fellow time trial specialists Fabian Cancellara, Tony Martin, Taylor Phinney and Thomas Dekker have all expressed interest in the Hour Record although are yet to set any specific dates for an attempt. 

Bobridge will make his attempt at the Hour Record on Saturday, 31 January (5pm) at the Darebin International Sports Centre (DISC), 281 Darebin Rd, Thornbury, Victoria. It will be a ticketed event with patrons able to purchase tickets at the gate upon entry to DISC or by calling the Cycling Victoria on 03 8480 3000.

Tickets will be  $10 for the general public and $8 for Cycling Australia members.