The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) congratulates Michael Teuber on setting a new UCI Hour Record timed by Tissot in the C1 class.
The 50-year-old German Paralympic cyclist covered a total distance of 42.583km, completed in 171 laps, at the Berlin Velodrome (GER) on Friday, bettering his existing world record (39.326km), set on 8 May 2005 in Augsburg, near Munich (GER) by 3,257km.
Teuber made his successful attempt on the opening day of the Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Berlin (30 November-2 December). It is the very first time that a UCI-approved paracycling event has been held as part of a competition for able-bodied athletes. Paracycling will once again feature on the programme at the next round of the Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Cup, in London on 14-16 December, where C1 class events on the UCI International Track Cycling Calendar will be held.
Teuber’s new world record is the latest in a long line of achievements for a rider who has 20 UCI world titles and five Paralympic golds to his name.
Left semi-paralysed as a result of a car accident in 1987, Teuber is able to walk with the aid of orthopaedic splints. He took up paracycling in 1998 and has achieved most of his success since 2012 on the road, winning half of his rainbow jerseys and four of his five Paralympic titles in the years since then.
Teuber has ridden 17,000km this season in preparation for his UCI Hour Record timed by Tissot attempt and warmed up for it by training at the Augsburg Velodrome.
A well-known endurance specialist, Teuber, who hiked up Mount Kilimanjaro in 2010, has now added another achievement to his already impressive career record.
“Of course I'm overjoyed, I was able to pace myself throughout the race and could accelerate slightly in the last ten minutes," said Michael Teuber, who sank into the arms of his wife Susanne after the race. "It was also a sign of inclusion. I am very grateful to be able to make this attempt here in Berlin at the UCI World Cup.”
“Congratulations to Michael, who has produced a fantastic performance in breaking through the 40-kilometre barrier,” said UCI President David Lappartient. “Two years on from Colin Lynch in the C3 class, he has provided another demonstration of the renewed popularity that the UCI Hour Record timed by Tissot has enjoyed since we updated our Regulations. I am delighted with his display, not least because it came at our Track Cycling World Cup event, bringing him even more visibility and some very special recognition.”