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Jack Bobridge falls short in Hour record attempt

Australian pays price for going out too quickly and misses record by three laps

Jack Bobridge has missed out on breaking the UCI Hour record and the Australian has one word of advice for other riders thinking about attempting it – “don’t.”

The Australian, world record holder in the 4,000 metres individual pursuit, was the first track specialist to attempt the record since the UCI’s rule change last year to permit modern track bikes and equipment.

He was attempting to break the distance of 51.852km that Matthias Brändle set last October, eclipsing the record of 51.115 kilometres posted the previous month by Jens Voigt.

In the opening 10 minutes or so the 25-year-oldwas on course to comfortably smash Brändle’s record as he went out quickly – too quickly, it turned out, and he would pay the price later on.

At the halfway point he had covered 104 of the 208 laps he needed to take the record, but he would eventually fall three laps short with a distance of 51.3 kilometres despite digging deep late on.

The Budget Forklifts rider was entirely spent after his ride, which took place at the DISC Velodrome in Melbourne on the final day of the Australian national track championships, and vomited several times afterwards.

"This is the closest to death I will ever be, I think, without dying," he said afterwards.

On 8 February another Australian track specialist, Rohan Dennis, will attempt the Hour record in Switzerland.

Dennis won a stage and the overall at the Santos Tour Down Under earlier this month, while Bobridge also took a stage and ended the race with the mountains jersey.

A week tomorrow, we’ll find out whether the extra week of recovery and preparation built into Dennis’s schedule proves decisive.

But the fact an in-form Bobridge, a multiple world and Commonwealth champion on the track, missed out on the record however emphasises just how tough it is.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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7 comments

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hampstead_bandit | 9 years ago
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52km in 1 hour is ridiculous!

I went out in Regent's Park on Thursday for 1 hour and pushed myself as hard as possible. Freezing wind, traffic and several stops at traffic lights = 34km. Black coffee and a gel otherwise breakfast would 'reappear'. I felt punished afterwards.

52km is another league of intensity altogether, though. The average speed is beyond anything I could hope to maintain..

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Yorky-M | 9 years ago
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Super effort . Just shows how amazing these guys are. 52km for an hour. I can do this for 5 minutenintervals and finish bucked.
Hats off to the effort and putting on a good show.

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Simon E | 9 years ago
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perhaps Brandle's performance will be re-evaluated now.

rohan Dennis next...

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tomturcan | 9 years ago
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Nice try Jack. Can't wait for Dowsett, Wiggo and Martin to give it a go.

Be good to see Sarah Storey up the ante on the women's side too. Is it an event for Laura Trott?

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Rory Mackay | 9 years ago
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Just a quick note, he's 25 not 35.

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Simon_MacMichael replied to Rory Mackay | 9 years ago
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Rory Mackay wrote:

Just a quick note, he's 25 not 35.

Sorry, slip of the finger - mind you, I'm sure he felt older still at the end of that.

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Leviathan | 9 years ago
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He wasn't talking himself up with mentions of 'torture' this week. Ah well someone had to be the first to fail. Still waiting for the big boys to come out and play.

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