Hour record would be one of Bradley Wiggins' great feats - Shane Sutton
British Cycling boss says it would be up with Olympic wins
Friday 5 June 2015 18:18, UK
Shane Sutton says breaking the UCI Hour Record would rank alongside Sir Bradley Wiggins’ Tour de France win and Olympic successes as one of the greatest achievements of his career.
Wiggins is aiming to eclipse fellow Briton Alex Dowsett’s existing record of 52.937km in London on Sunday, exclusively live on Sky Sports.
Sutton, who is British Cycling’s technical director, coached Wiggins to almost all of his previous career highlights and was asked to help prepare him for his latest challenge along with British Cycling endurance coach Heiko Salzwedel.
Sutton believes that if Wiggins can set a new record, it would be a match for his 2012 Tour triumph, four Olympic titles and last year’s world time-trial win.
He told Sky Sports: “A few years ago, I would have said it was nowhere near his other achievements, but given where he is at and where the record has gone, Bradley sees this as a massive box to tick.
“This thing has become quite iconic. There are so many people who want to set the new marker. It’s a big one for Bradley.
“I was surprised that he took it on after Paris-Roubaix, when he was walking away from high-end road cycling with Team Sky. He was going to go out and enjoy his track journey to Rio [the 2016 Olympics] and then all of a sudden he is tempted by the hour record, and he has taken it very seriously.
“He has looked at everything in detail. He has approached it as though he is approaching the Tour de France or an Olympic final.”
Wiggins will aim to complete 221 laps of the Lee Valley VeloPark’s 250m track, which would give him a final distance of 55.250km.
However, Sutton admits the arrival of a front of high pressure, which creates more air resistance, could make that a difficult target to achieve and insists breaking the record – whatever the distance – is the immediate priority.
He added: “The conditions are definitely playing against him here, but first and foremost, if you remove everything regarding parameters set or statements made about how it is going to be achieved and what the outcome is going to look like, the demand of the event is to go out and break 52.937km or whatever the current record is. That is the first goal and I am confident we will achieve that goal.
“Anything that comes beyond that is a bonus because things haven’t really gone in our favour from the weather side of things and everything else with the barometric pressure.”
Our programme will run from 6pm-8pm on Sunday, with the record attempt itself taking place from 6.30pm-7.30pm.
