Ceya

Yep it is true to the prepartion of the hour. After Eddy did the record he retired due how hard it was for his body. Only Ole Ritter and Moser did it more than once. Eki(Discovery Team) did it more than once as a amateur. I want to see him go for it again as a pro. I know he will break it.

S/F,
CEYA!

Laggard

Merckx actually raced for four more years after breaking the hour record.

alanbikehouston

Did he win many "big" races after breaking the hour record? How many times did he win the Tour de France before breaking the record, and how many times afterwards? Most of the successful attempts of the hour record have been "timed" to occur just before a rider's physical performance level begins to wan.

Unlike road races, where an aging rider can win by using experience, strategy, and the support of his team as a substitute for fading legs, the hour record is a "race against biology", where the rider's opponents are the absolute limits of his heart, lungs, legs, and capacity to endure pain. Some riders have finished in the "top five" at the Tour de France at age 38 or age 40, and their age was not holding them back. But, I don't expect the hour record will get broken by someone that old...age 34 is "old" for such a grueling task.

Laggard

TDF
Giro (2 times)
Vuelta a Espana
Paris Roubaix
Liege Bastogne Liege (2 times)
Amstel Gold (2 times)
Tour of Flanders
Tour of Switzerland
Milan San Remo (2 times)
World Pro Road Race
Ghent - Wevelgem
Super Prestige Pernod Trophy (3 times)

So no, not much.

MacMan

What are you talking about - before the UCI ****ed it all up:

Marcel Berthet - three times
Oscar Egg - three times
Maurice Richard - twice
Jacques Anquetil - twice
Roger Riviere - twice
Graeme Obree - twice
Chris Boardman - twice
Tony Rominger - twice

I thought Ritter only did it once (get the record that is).

MacMan

YEAH BABY!!!

Ceya

ok you have it.

Ole Ritter did only get one record. he tried to get it a second time and failed.
S/F,
CEYA!

pearcem

what's the point of the little wings going off of the fork in pic macman posted

oldspark

Yea but did he win any "big" races?

Trev Doyle

They're like the wings on the back of Formula one cars, the keep him from getting airbourne!

roadbuzz

Well, maybe *that's* Lances gig. He wants to show that he's more than a one trick pony. Mop up some classics, set an hour record, then drop back and grab another yellow jersey or two.

cabledonut

I went to watch Chris Boardman break the 'athlete's hour' record in Manchester in front of 4000 people.


pearcem - what's the point of the little wings going off of the fork in pic macman posted

they were in replacement of the handlebars, for him to grip onto when starting. that's Chris Boardman in the now banned 'superman' position invented by Graeme Obree.

Olyroller

Funny guy they are for the start of the ride.

Corsaire

check it out, he looks all business for it !

https://www.cyclingnews.com/tech.php?...s/lance_tunnel

I truly think he'll beat easily Boardman's record.

Corsaire

Laggard

I for one am tired of people thinking that it's going to be so damn easy for Lance to break the record. There's no guarantee that he can even break it.

Brett 12

big difference between old hour records and new hour records is technology, not the rider

DXchulo

Interesting story about Ekimov there at the end.

Never been in a wind tunnel, but still one of the best. It just comes naturally to some guys.

Corsaire

Perhaps Ekimov should have a crack at the HOUR also, what do you know...he might break the record.

Corsaire

lotek 

Here is what Boardman thinks the parameters should be for
Lance's Hour Record attempt.
Technology will not play that big a part as the UCI and whoever sanctions
the hour attempt have very specific rules for bikes.
I'm in agreement with Laggard, this won't be a walk in the park for LA
or anyone else who attempts it.

bac

Somewhat ... however there are 2 hours records. One uses aerodynamics (you can use a radical frame, components, etc), and the other is with a standard road bike (whatever specs thay've determined for that - something to do with Eddy's old record, and how his bike was constructed).

I don't know which record Lance is chasing, but I would guess by the look of his bike, it's the standard-bike/Eddy M record.

Laggard

I love the UCI record. It's all on your back. No blaming your steed.

Ekimov just turned 39. I think his hour breaking days are behind him.

Corsaire

From what I read, Lance seems to be chasing the "HiTec" type of record, he and his team are talking about wind tunnels, special bike, even constructing either in Colorado or Utah a temporary Velodrome (high altitude) for this sole purpose.

However, either way Lance has all the skills and talent to have a good crack at it.


Corsaire

KleinRider

The article states he may try both, so who knows? (well, Lance does I'm sure).

I think he has the skill and talent to break the record, but that obviously doesn't mean that he will do it.

JoeOxfordCT

I think the hour record has become more of an experiment rather than a cycling event. Honestly, I think it's a pointless pursuit. What's the farthest you've ever ridden in an hour ? Can't compare ?? Of course not. How many of us have ever ridden in a velodrome with banked turns ??? Cycling, by it nature is hard to quantify...and I believe attempts to do so miss the point....Cycling competition to me is really about how you did against the competition you faced, that day. The weather can change year to year, riders come into races at peak or off peak conditioning...there's so many variables what's the point of trying to measure someone's hour time 10 years ago from a time 35 years ago. Think how much of an effect technology has had in that time, how much we have learned about training & conditioning....So how you can compare riders, especially riders of different eras, against each other, is really best left for arguing over between friends, over a couple of cold ones....like the one(s) I'm going to have in about another hour & a half

Corsaire

Precisely, it's all really in the eye of the "beer-holder".

Corsaire