Sport

Wiggins smashes UCI Hour Record in velodrome

However, the British cyclist fell short of his 55km target, finishing at 54.546km

Bradley Wiggins during his successful attempt to break cycling’s hour record at the velodrome in east London. Photograph: Andrew Winning/Andrews
Bradley Wiggins during his successful attempt to break cycling’s hour record at the velodrome in east London. Photograph: Andrew Winning/Andrews
Sun Jun 07 2015 - 21:09

Bradley Wiggins broke the UCI Hour Record but the Beamonesque mark he targeted was beyond him.

Tickets sold out in seven minutes to watch Wiggins ride around in circles for 60 minutes, targeting fellow Briton Alex Dowsett’s record of 52.937 kilometres.

And the 2012 Tour de France champion, four-time Olympic gold medallist and world time-trial champion claimed the record at the Lee Valley VeloPark in London with a distance of 54.526km.

Wiggins had set himself a target of over 55km (220 laps) and a record which would last a generation. He was consistently above 54.5kph pace, but his grimace became increasingly pronounced.

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He surpassed Dowsett’s distance with just under two minutes to go and continued to push forwards. For 35-year-old Wiggins it was a one-time opportunity to break the 55 laps, with the Rio Olympics next summer likely to be his swansong.