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• "Eddy recently said if he had Chris Boardman's plastic helmet, shoe covers and clip-in pedals he would have gone over 50 km/hr. As much as I liked the UCI Hour Record, it was already corrupted by that difference"

  I hear similar statements to this and I ponder why people feel this way. The Hour has always been at the height of the "technologial arms race" in cycling. Can you really sit there and tell me that Eddy's hour bike wasn't the pinnacle of technology at the time? Frank Dodds rode 26.508 in 1876. The first official hour record, how much farther could he have gone..with..toe clips, a frame that weighted what Eddy's did, a better surface to ride on..? I take absolutely NOTHING away from the effort The Prophet put out during his hour, and for sure..if he were at the height of his powers now and on current technology, i have no doubt that he would put the Hour beyond reach again. But..the Hour has always been the home of improving technology of our machines. The Prophet's Hour bike was the first to have a titanium stem. Hand filed no less. Technology at the time didn't allow for it to be finished by machine. it hand to be painstakingly hand filed to shape. I have had the awesome pleasure of spending time examining his machine when it was on display here at the Il Vecchio shop for a couple of years. You can see the file marks still on the stem! Drilled out handlebars, chainring, etc..all advances the previous hour holders before The Prophet ( well I'm sure Ritter had some of these) probably did not have. Does that at all diminish his hour to the previous holders? No..it is the natural progression of the sport. At it's base though..is the effort. Regardless of the technology employed, all the holders have one thing in common...the deep fire to drive themselves through searing pain for an hour and the light the way for us all to drive ourselves that little bit further when we are hurting in our own efforts!

• Jens openly admits that his record won't stand for long when Wiggins / Cancellara / Martin rev up their engines, but kudos to him - he's 43 and he judged it to perfection getting quicker in the last 20 minutes (his fastest lap was his last). Anyone who finishes in the top 20 of next weeks World TT could potentially beat it, bit do they have the balls to try? Bring it on! (I think Jens under cooked it and could have hit 52km, but I doubt he'll have another crack at it).

• Considering the age of the engine on the modified speed concept, I have to tip my hat to JMFV.

  However, I would like to see someone do it twice.  Merckx equipment vs modern equipment.

• @Haldy

  "Eddy recently said if he had Chris Boardman's plastic helmet, shoe covers and clip-in pedals he would have gone over 50 km/hr. As much as I liked the UCI Hour Record, it was already corrupted by that difference"

  I hear similar statements to this and I ponder why people feel this way. The Hour has always been at the height of the "technologial arms race" in cycling. Can you really sit there and tell me that Eddy's hour bike wasn't the pinnacle of technology at the time? Frank Dodds rode 26.508 in 1876. The first official hour record, how much farther could he have gone..with..toe clips, a frame that weighted what Eddy's did, a better surface to ride on..? I take absolutely NOTHING away from the effort The Prophet put out during his hour, and for sure..if he were at the height of his powers now and on current technology, i have no doubt that he would put the Hour beyond reach again. But..the Hour has always been the home of improving technology of our machines. The Prophet's Hour bike was the first to have a titanium stem. Hand filed no less. Technology at the time didn't allow for it to be finished by machine. it hand to be painstakingly hand filed to shape. I have had the awesome pleasure of spending time examining his machine when it was on display here at the Il Vecchio shop for a couple of years. You can see the file marks still on the stem! Drilled out handlebars, chainring, etc..all advances the previous hour holders before The Prophet ( well I'm sure Ritter had some of these) probably did not have. Does that at all diminish his hour to the previous holders? No..it is the natural progression of the sport. At it's base though..is the effort. Regardless of the technology employed, all the holders have one thing in common...the deep fire to drive themselves through searing pain for an hour and the light the way for us all to drive ourselves that little bit further when we are hurting in our own efforts!

  Agree completely. Hard to compare the records directly due to different equipment, but I see no reason why they can't be celebrated for what they are.

• He also very likely secured himself a nice gig doing some TV commentary for any of the other guys hour record attempts in the next few years....

• @GogglesPizano

  He also very likely secured himself a nice gig doing some TV commentary for any of the other guys hour record attempts in the next few years....

  And Trek will likely sell a few extra Speed Concept 9 bikes over the next couple of months.

• Agreed. I doubt Jens will hold the record this time next year, but kudos on him for giving it a go and succeeding. We're all chatting here about how many are theoretically able to beat him, and what equipment can/should/should not be used, the fact remains the Hour Record is one of the most physically demanding sporting achievements out there. Comparisons have been made to road TT times but they're different - corners, uphills, downhills, gearing, the chance to freewheel even for a few moments etc. This is 60 minutes of pure unadulterated effort leading inexorably to massive pain. That requires physical and mental strength few of us (besides Frank) can muster.

  All sports have progressed and those developments should be taken into consideration. Personally, I'd like to see the NFL play in the uniforms of the 1920s. It won't happen, but would be fun to watch.

• http://www.theguardian.com/sport/100-tours-100-tales/2014/sep/19/why-jens-voigt-and-a-new-group-of-cyclists-want-to-break-the-hour-record?commentpage=1

  This is a good read on the whole shebang.

• It is more than just different equipment though. And why draw the line for advancement with Eddie? It's just misplaced nostalgia. 

  Are we to make Jens go back to Eddies training style too? Have him on the same diet with the same 'in-ride' food/drink? He should have to wear woollen kit too. Actually the tyres make a difference. Anyone got some singles from Eddies era?  What about the grease in the bearings or the style of hard facing? Where do you draw the line? You can't so each record stand on its own, not as one supersedes another. Eddie was the fastest then, jens is now. Soon, someone will be faster.

• @Haldy absolutely spot on assessment! Doffing my cap to you