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Sir Bradley Wiggins confirms Hour record attempt in June

Inspired by Jens Voigt, British rider says it will give him “something to get out of bed for in the winter”

Sir Bradley Wiggins has confirmed that he will attempt the Hour record in June next year and that it will give him “something to get out of bed for in the winter.”

Last week, Jens Voigt became the first man to attempt the record since a UCI rule change earlier this year to permit modern, aero, equipment, setting a distance of 51.115km to beat the previous record of 49.7km.

Wiggins, in Ponferrada Spain where he aims to win the rainbow jersey in the time trial this afternoon, told BBC Sport that Voigt, riding the day after his 43rd birthday and bringing the curtain down on his career, had inspired him to have a crack at the record himself.

"I want to prepare for it properly," he said. "It will give me something to get out of bed for in the winter,” he said.

"I was a bit surprised by Jens's decision to do it but what he did was fantastic and fully deserved.

"I could just go and do it next week but if I do it, I'll only do it once."

Voigt’s ride is expected to usher in a new era of top riders vying for the Hour record, as happened in the 1990s when the likes of Graeme Obree and Chris Boardman battled it out using aerodynamic equipment and riding positions that the UCI then banned.

"It was encouraging Jens went so fast. It set a marker, and it was good for the sport," Wiggins went on.

"Someone had to do it first and now it's a realistic aim... not like the record Chris Boardman set 14 years ago,” he added.

That was a reference to Boardman’s ride in 2000 following the UCI’s rule change that required riders to use similar equipment to that available to Eddy Merckx when he set a distance of 49.431km. Boardman rode 10 metres further.

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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4 comments

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glynr36 | 9 years ago
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Seems like Phinney is considering giving this a go now, as part of his comeback.
Meaning someone will push the bar up before the big 3 have a go.

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farrell | 9 years ago
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The possible downside to him waiting till June is that Cancellara and Martin all wait until he has had his crack and all the buzz and momentum of these Hour Record attempts starts to fizzle out.

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Airzound | 9 years ago
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Why so long to wait? Surely he has a free weekend coming up?

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Leviathan | 9 years ago
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Brilliant, still a long time to wait, but I'm sure it'll be worth it. Obviously two year is too much preparation time for the Olympics. As aero bikes have now becoming a standard part of road kit I hope i'll be able to buy wiggo's bike if I fancy it. Just for the record and to save him the effort Gkam is not keen on Wiggins or sky or rapha.

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