Anatomy of a Photo: Bringing Back The Hour

Brad Wiggins is sitting at home, watching his team implode at a Tour de France he was not invited to.

What’s on his mind? An attempt at the Hour Record, that’s what. Now that the UCI has allowed riders to mount a conventional (track) time trial machine in their efforts and the likes of Boardman, Obree, Moser, Rominger, and Indurain all get their records back, I’m getting wicked psyched for a renaissance of one of the coolest periods of Cycling when rider after rider attempted and re-attempted the record during the 90’s.

Unfortunately, the regulations won’t allow for anyone to hop aboard Fignon’s old monster – which he never rode – but at least we have a chance that Wiggins, Cancellara, Martin and co will spend the next few years one-upping each other in what could be the most gratuitous suffer fest our sport has to offer.

Bring it the fuck on.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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View Comments

Ccos says:

Jul 19 2014 at 1:13 pm

Well thankfully Fignon didn't take aerodynamics all that seriously at a particular time trial in late 1989. Perhaps that rig was his way of overcompensating.
thefringthing says:

Jul 19 2014 at 3:50 pm

Boardman, Obree, Moser, Rominger, and Indurain don't all get their records back. The line is still Sosenka's record, which is a bit silly because beating it on a modern pursuit bike won't be that hard, relatively speaking. Honestly I think the old status quo with two categories, Merckx and aero, was better than these new rules.
anhtony says:

Jul 19 2014 at 5:44 pm

@thefringthing

Boardman, Obree, Moser, Rominger, and Indurain don't all get their records back. The line is still Sosenka's record, which is a bit silly because beating it on a modern pursuit bike won't be that hard, relatively speaking. Honestly I think the old status quo with two categories, Merckx and aero, was better than these new rules.

Not sure what I think about them being able to use pursuit bikes other than maybe the idea is that it would be more apealing to attempt for TT guy's, I guess if get's people more excited about it I am ok with it .
EBruner says:

Jul 19 2014 at 8:22 pm

@thefringthing

Boardman, Obree, Moser, Rominger, and Indurain don't all get their records back. The line is still Sosenka's record, which is a bit silly because beating it on a modern pursuit bike won't be that hard, relatively speaking. Honestly I think the old status quo with two categories, Merckx and aero, was better than these new rules.

I agree, Merckx and Aero should the only categories. Even if Ritter was a whiny pussy complaining the weather kept him from beating Merckx, he was still on a real mans Bicycle. Fuck the space ago looking BS, hammer it out like a man on a regular bike, or stay home.
DCR says:

Jul 19 2014 at 8:52 pm

Last I heard Faboo has shelved his hour record attempt. I like his stance on the subject as well, said that the romance of the traditional hour record held by Merckx had nostalgia being able to compare ones self with the greats of cycling.
ChrisO says:

Jul 19 2014 at 10:11 pm

Yeah except nobody was prepared to actually do it so the whole thing was shoved away into a corner.

The last time anyone got excited about the hour record was the Boardman/Obree era and why was that? Because you had two people who were not only great athletes but also prepared to apply innovation - new things get people interested.

It was a ridiculous division - why did it stop at Merckx? Why not insist on replicas of bikes from 1910? Why not set an altitude limit?

I just wish the Swiss Bitch would STFU and have a go. His whining is on par with his time trialling.
Owen says:

Jul 20 2014 at 6:49 am

@ChrisO

It was a ridiculous division - why did it stop at Merckx? Why not insist on replicas of bikes from 1910? Why not set an altitude limit?

I think this is an important point. Yes, records were set on specific sets of equipment, but innovation is key to progress in any sport. You don't see F1 racers going back to old timey cars to compete, or for sprinters to wear leather shoes with no spikes, or or or or. Why should cycling stop at 30 year old or more technology? Let the pursuit bikes in, yes they'll smash the old records but it will be exciting to watch them fly around the track at full speed.
frank says:

Jul 20 2014 at 11:34 am

@thefringthing

Boardman, Obree, Moser, Rominger, and Indurain don't all get their records back. The line is still Sosenka's record, which is a bit silly because beating it on a modern pursuit bike won't be that hard, relatively speaking. Honestly I think the old status quo with two categories, Merckx and aero, was better than these new rules.

The official record is Sosenka's, but their records are back on the list. Fubar to be sure, but they do have credit for them in the books again.

Those records, peaking with Boardman's 56.374km record attained in the "superman" position and on a bike that is not legal under current UCI rules, will remain on the books but will not be the mark to beat for a modern attempt.
hyppy says:

Jul 20 2014 at 2:27 pm

Time to add Michael Hutchinson's The Hour to The Works? And Edward's Pickering's Race Against Time too while I'm thinking about it.
ChrissyOne says:

Jul 20 2014 at 2:42 pm

Thank you supporting my ability to rationalize another bike purchase.