The One Hour Record
- Thread starter gntlmn
- Start date
I'm not a follower of track racing, I know what pursuit is but that's about it, the rest can be written on the back of a postage stamp, but I do know there is always something magical/controversial about the hour record. It took me a long time to realise that its done in a velodrome, not over a measure distance.
The first time I noticed it was the battle between Boardman and Obree with the washing machine bike. After that it was the UCI debacle, taking it back to non technical machines ( My view of the UCI is unprintable anyway )
But the record is going to come to the fore soon because Graham Obree is going for it again. I read it in Cycling Weekly this week. I would post the web page details but they haven't got it on the site. I hope he does it, he's one of the nicest ex-cyclists I've met.
The first time I noticed it was the battle between Boardman and Obree with the washing machine bike. After that it was the UCI debacle, taking it back to non technical machines ( My view of the UCI is unprintable anyway )
But the record is going to come to the fore soon because Graham Obree is going for it again. I read it in Cycling Weekly this week. I would post the web page details but they haven't got it on the site. I hope he does it, he's one of the nicest ex-cyclists I've met.
Indeed, Mr. Graeme Obree is going to bring thunder to this game again. He will be doing a test on April 4th in Manchester, the same place where Boardman set his record on the Merckx replica. If he does well on that test, he will make an official attempt on the world record shortly after that.
Frankly, I don't think he'll be able to do it. I think that although he is a fine rider and has overcome tremendous adversity, I think that he underestimates his previous advantage of aerodynamics which will not be there when he makes this next attempt. He'll be riding a Merckx this time, not a washing machine.
As for the hour record being done in a velodrome, this is not necessarily the case. It is done on a track, but not necessarily a velodrome. Boardman's was in a velodrome at sea level, but Merckx' was on an outdoor track at elevation in Mexico City. In fact, that's why he had to delay the event for a few days while he waited for the rain to quit.
You may want to read Obree's autobiography which will be coming out soon. This is the latest on Obree http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_sports/view/76327/1/.html
WWW.CYCLINGNEWS.COM carries an interview with Obree where he discusses his possible attempt at the world record (Thursday news)
I personally think mister Obree knows very well the are acvantages he has because of the bike. He's the one who designed the record bikes because of that. No for the comfort or the looks pure for speed gain.
But also Its obvious IMO that the new attempt close to the data that his autobiography comes out is the key. Even if he falls short by k's hell get plenty coverage that will make his book sell. Coverage like the one we are giving him now, nice marketing gimmic.
It's called the Lotus Type 108. Here's a couple of pictures:
http://response.jp/issue/2003/0306/article23183_1.images/31013.html
http://response.jp/issue/2003/0306/article23183_1.images/31012.html
Graeme Obree did a 55'04" in the 25 mile time trial to win a race on Sunday, March 28, 2004 in Carlisle. He was supposed to do a full 60 minute trial run on Sunday, April 4, 2004 at the Manchester Velodrome where Boardman set the record. http://www.thisisthelakedistrict.co...r.476783.0.cycling_obree_back_in_business.php
http://sport.guardian.co.uk/cycling/story/0,10482,1184213,00.html?101:+Sport+news
http://www.veloriders.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=9802
The following includes some very interesting background material on Obree. http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,5073,4901,00.html?category_id=363
After he set the world record in the 4 km pursuit at the 1993 World Track Championships in Hamar against Boardman, he coughed up blood every day for 3 months according to his wife Anne. The physiologist at the time, Coggan, said that he had never heard of this happening to a human before, but thoroughbred horses often have this happen after races because the pulmonary blood pressure gets so high during the race that the blood vessels in the lungs burst. So they froth red at the mouth afterwards as they gasp for breath. I guess Obree pushed himself way beyond what most humans are capable of doing. It's interesting the comment about why Obree kept on trying. He said it wasn't about the glory. It was about justifying his own existence. I imagine wondering why would enter your mind so many times, especially with such an excruciating event like the hour. My hat goes off for Mr. Obree. I like the way he defied all and pressed on toward the challenge. I wonder what he has up his sleeve this time.
I don't know how the hour went last night. Apparently it was a closed event and only a test, not an official run. If anyone comes across this info, please post it here.
http://sport.guardian.co.uk/cycling/story/0,10482,1184213,00.html?101:+Sport+news
http://www.veloriders.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=9802
The following includes some very interesting background material on Obree. http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,5073,4901,00.html?category_id=363
After he set the world record in the 4 km pursuit at the 1993 World Track Championships in Hamar against Boardman, he coughed up blood every day for 3 months according to his wife Anne. The physiologist at the time, Coggan, said that he had never heard of this happening to a human before, but thoroughbred horses often have this happen after races because the pulmonary blood pressure gets so high during the race that the blood vessels in the lungs burst. So they froth red at the mouth afterwards as they gasp for breath. I guess Obree pushed himself way beyond what most humans are capable of doing. It's interesting the comment about why Obree kept on trying. He said it wasn't about the glory. It was about justifying his own existence. I imagine wondering why would enter your mind so many times, especially with such an excruciating event like the hour. My hat goes off for Mr. Obree. I like the way he defied all and pressed on toward the challenge. I wonder what he has up his sleeve this time.
I don't know how the hour went last night. Apparently it was a closed event and only a test, not an official run. If anyone comes across this info, please post it here.
Now I see that Obree will postpone his attempt on the world hour record until June. His ride at 9 pm Sunday, 4/04/2004, at the Manchester Velodrome, where Chris Boardman broke Eddy Merckx' long standing "purist" hour record, was cut short after several km. He was too far off the pace to break the record and said that he needed to make adjustments to the bicycle. He said he is ready physically and emotionally, but equipment has to be perfect. This was a dry run, not a record attempt.
http://www.theherald.co.uk/sport/13467.html
http://www.theherald.co.uk/sport/13467.html
Gntlmn,
This may seem impertinent but from reading your postings on this thread, you seem to be fascinated by the Hour Record ?
Or is it Obree ?
I too appreciate the hour record and I am routing for Obree : it is great to see him back and well in himself.
He was an excellent cyclist and given his troubles, I hope that when he has a crack at the Hour, that he will do himself justice.
Yes, I am fascinated by the Hour Record. The Hour Record is to Cycling as the 100 meters is to Track and Field. There is huge prestige in getting the record, and I think every professional cyclist would like to own the record. It's the fact that the conditions are very well defined. The distance covered in this event is more representative of your own cycling performance relative to other riders than most other cycling events, and it's long enough to get the respect of even the greatest distance champions. Other rides, like tours with a peloton or pursuits around the track do speak much of the winner against the other participants on the day of the event. But the times cannot be compared to what someone does 10 years later. The Hour Record can.
As for Obree, he's the only one now that I know of who is actively making a move on the Hour record. So my fascination with Obree is mostly in the fact that he is in the eye of the hurricane right now. If you stepped up to make a legitimate run on the record, you would have my attention as I now give to Graeme. There are few cyclists who would attempt such a feat. Even if you get the record, most only motivate themselves to accomplish this by telling themselves they will never do it ever again. As you know, it taxes body, mind and soul.
I agree with you the Hour record is pure - in that the conditions and the fact that it's you against a clock make it fascinating.
And the fact that you can measure your perforamnce against other record breaking attempts is also a valid point.
I would have thought that LA or JU might have had a crack at it like Rominger/Indurain/merckx.
but they don't seem to be interested.
It is all about physical suffering though.
Look at the state of Boardman when he broke it on the Merckx
machine - he was shattered.
In fact, there was a very interesting article in Procycling some months ago when the asked the modern riders to ride the bikes used to win the TDF/Giro etc between the years 1930-1960.
David Millar rode Roger Lapabie's 1936 (?) TDF bike and he could not get down the road on it.
He said afterwards that he would be unable to cycle it over a TDF
course !
I'm all for technology but a part of me has huge respect for the
'Giants of the Road' (cyclists from 1900-1950)
If I were Jan or Lance, I don't think I would even consider an attempt at the hour record until I had ridden my last Tour de France, and then only if I really thought seriously that I could get to record breaking form for the attempt. Otherwise, the brutal effect of this event might affect performance in the Tour, even though it might be 11 months away. They have too much to lose to try it when they are at the top of their games. Obree doesn't have that problem. Boardman didn't either.
I wonder if they will always keep this event on the current UCI standards. I suspect that in 50 years, the general public will be riding 1 kg bikes. I don't know if these riders will persist in this 7 kg limit with such a wide gap. It wouldn't be hard to maintain the event though for comparison purposes. I hope they do, actually. But I think they will change the road racing standards because of the enormous future change in material weights and strengths. I think the 1 kg bike of the not too distant future will be stronger than the 7 kg bike of today.
By the way, I think Indurain actually held the one hour record at one time, but it was during that stretch of time when riders kept using better aerodynamics. This record is now called the one hour performance. He has since been beaten. Indurain was a fantastic time trialist. If his only event were the one hour and he avoided tours, he may be the one with the record. But we will never know.
BigMig blasted the world record in 1994 at Bordeaux after the TDF
but before the World R/R championship :
He cycled 53 kilometres in one hour.
His record last only a few weeks : I think Rominger regained it or it was possibly Boardman (I can't remember exactly).
Indurain has a Pinarello Sword : it had a conventional setup.
There was no 'Superman' position a la Obree, in Indurains attempt.
Now comes the debate as to how much different his bike was than Merckx'. It was different. It's just that it wasn't as different or extreme as the later versions. Otherwise his record would stand as the first one to break Merckx' long standing record. It did not. It was included among the records which were considered the one hour performance, not the one hour record.
Indeed you are correct in that Obree's and Boardman's later records used more aerodynamic advantages than Indurain. But Indurain did use some aerodynamic advantage too--just not as much. Even a disk wheel, remember, would disqualify you from the "purist" Merckx standard.
A group of Basque physiologists has recently computed various average wattages generated by the cyclists who have claimed, at various times, the world one hour performance record. Conflicting with earlier results which I posted near the beginning of this thread, they list Indurain, not Rominger, at the top of the heap for wattages. They say he generated 510 watts when he claimed the record in 1994. Well, you must also consider that Miguel is a big man. To go the same distance as a smaller man, let's say Lemond, he is going to have to generate a much greater wattage. He will have greater rolling resistance because of his greater weight, and greater wind resistance because of his size. So this is clearly still a debate. If the game were who can generate the greatest wattage in one hour, maybe he would be the champion of all time. But that is not the test in the one hour. It's how far you get down the track in 60 minutes.
It's too bad Miguel didn't know that the UCI would years later rule that the hour record, purist version, should be ridden on Eddy Merckx' bike. If he had known, and all the others had known during that time frame when the aerodynamic advantages were being used, maybe he would have broken Merckx' record. I am disappointed that it has turned out this way, but that's the way it goes. At least now there is a specific standard, and the riders know it.
Yeah, that's what the commentary above was about--Obree's attempt at the hour on Merckx' bike in the Manchester Velodrome. Well, guess what? He just informed the press 2 hours ago that he is not going to make an attempt on the hour because he doesn't have the facilities to train inside on a track. He only has access to the road, and he thinks he is too far off form to break the record in a short time without having access to a track. He says he averaged 47 kph on Sunday night at the Manchester Velodrome for 12 minutes. This was too far off the pace. So he just quit then. He was going to try for the record in June, but now that he knows he can't find a track, he will give up on his bid for the world record.
I wonder if he is using a hypoxic tent (low oxygen sleeping environment). If he isn't, maybe this would give him the advantage he needs to break the record. I don't know how to send him an email to ask.
Gntlmn,
You are correct when you say that Indurain's bike was aerodynamically suitable.
I think that there is a photo of it on this website
http://ida.physik.uni-siegen.de/menn/indurain.htm
You will see that his amchine was indeed an aerodynamic spec.
It would be interesting to see how he would do on a Merckx bike.
Back then, I think he would have at least been very close to it if he didn't beat the record. He needed to work on his pacing though. Merckx was very good about that. Miguel's run in 1994 was pretty sporadic as to pacing as the chart shows in the link you provided. You can also see that he was not in that superman position that the latest hour performance recordholders would use. He wasn't even close to being laid out like that. So I have a feeling he would have done it if he could have managed to set a more even pace on a Merckx bike in 1994. I checked the elevation of Bordeaux where the Stadium de Bordeaux is located where Indurain road, and it is only 60 meters. So there is virtually no elevation advantage either. It is disappointing that such a great champion didn't have a crack at the "purist" version of the one hour record.
Miguel Indurain was born in July, 1964. This means he will be 40 in July of this year. I bet he could make a good run at the hour record within the next 2 years if that were the only event he focused on. He's not too old. It's not like training for or racing in the Tour de France. It would bring a lot of attention to this event, and I suspect he may be able to break the one hour record if he tries. It certainly wouldn't be easy to get back into top shape, but it wouldn't be as hard as preparing for the stage races. Even though he may be past his prime for this event, I think he just may have enough in him to do it.
