The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is delighted to announce that Sir Bradley Wiggins will attempt to break the UCI Hour Record on June 7, 2015, at the Lee Valley VeloPark in London.
The current mark – 52,491 km – was set by Australian Rohan Dennis at the Velodrome Suisse in Grenchen, Switzerland, on February 8, 2015. The 34-year-old Briton has an impressive record of success in track cycling with four gold medals across the last three Olympic Games (Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and London 2012) in addition to six gold medals at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships. From 2009, Sir Bradley focused on the road where he experienced similar success by notably becoming the first British cyclist to win the Tour de France in 2012. The same year he took gold in the Time Trial at the Olympic Games in London. By doing so, Wiggins became the joint most decorated British Olympian, with seven medals, along with Sir Chris Hoy. In 2014, he claimed for the first time in his career the title of UCI Road World Champion in the Time Trial, in Ponferrada, Spain.
He has announced his intention to return to track cycling at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Wiggins’ attempt follows a busy period of brave challenges from the likes of Jack Bobridge (Australia), Thomas Dekker (The Netherlands), Gustav Larsson (Sweden), and Dame Sarah Storey (Great Britain) on the women’s UCI Hour Record. Fellow British rider Alex Dowsett will attack the mark on May 2, in Manchester. In May 2014, the UCI modernised the regulations regarding the record, allowing the use of endurance track bicycles. “I am thrilled to see that a rider of such calibre as Bradley Wiggins - an Olympic Champion and Tour de France winner - is attracted by the prospect of entering into the legend of the iconic UCI Hour Record, said UCI President Brian Cookson. This is exactly what the UCI was hoping for, when modernising the rules of the event last year, allowing the use of up-to-date pursuit bikes and equipment. I'm convinced that Bradley will give his very best to set a very high mark for the UCI Hour Record. But such performance is never achieved easily, so I'm excited to see what he can do in what is one of the toughest challenges in our sport.” Sir Bradley Wiggins added: “The Hour Record is a holy grail for cyclists. It’s been fought over tooth and nail by the greatest names in our sport for over a hundred years and it’s time for me to have a crack at it.”
Tickets will go on sale later this week on tickets.sky.com