German cycling star Jens Voigt digs deep on his way to smashing cycling's hour record. Photo by Ulf Schiller/schillerphoto.com
Jens Voigt put cycling's hour record back into the headlines Thursday in Grenchen, Switzerland. In front of over 1600 fans at the Velodrome Suisse, he set a new record distance of 51.110 kms to break the 2005 benchmark of 49.700 kms set in 2005 set by Ondrej Sosenka.
Voigt was ahead of his set timetable from the first lap, and he slowly built on his lead as the seconds ticked off the clock. He never appeared in trouble and was able to increase his pace in the final 10 minutes to bring his speed over the 51km/h mark for the first time. [Watch a full replay of the historic effort in the video below.]
"I started as usual too fast, but that is just me I can't control myself, and I realized that I was a second faster on the first lap than on the timetable so I tried to pace myself a little," said Voigt. "But I was in good shape, just right. I am perfectly fit for this moment, I am in very good shape, and after 20 minutes I had gained one lap but I was still feeling in control. Then from 20-40 minutes I had a comfortable lead and I paced myself and was still gaining a little time. Then in the last 20 I sped up a little and gained another lap. The last 10 minutes were flat out - all-in. My only thoughts were to not over pace, to focus on holding the black line and to stay aero - no side thoughts."
General Manager Luca Guercilena commented on Voigt's Hour Record from Spain where Trek Factory Racing is currently preparing for the World Championship Team Time Trial on Sunday. "At the start I was pretty worried because I knew the time schedule and he was fast, but then I was happy when I saw him balancing. I knew that at 40 minutes it was the line where he would either increase or go down and I was super happy to see him increase. It was really impressive to see him do this at the age of 43 - but Jens is Jens."
After it was over Voigt was able to take in what he had just accomplished. He admitted, even through the suffering, he was able to enjoy the moment. "The first 10 minutes I could not feel the pedals and thought, 'oh this is easy!' Then I went, 'oooooh, maybe you'd better pace yourself a little bit here.' Then I went on cruising speed from 20-40 mins. But I could feel at that speed I was good, I could hold on to this speed, I am not going to break down or slow down. So I felt in control, and yes indeed I had a little bit of time to enjoy it."
In the final 30 minutes Voigt began standing at interspersed moments, the first show of the strain and pain from the tremendous effort. "Having this cramped up position to hold for an hour is pretty tough. Basically the place where I sit on the saddle was really beginning to hurt and giving me a lot of pain, so every 10 laps I got out of the seat to stretch and release some pressure of my behind so to speak. I am happy that I don't have to sit on the saddle for the next days now."
Originally established in 1876, the hour record is one of the most revered achievements in cycling. Through the years, it has been held by such greats as Coppi, Anquetil, and Eddy Merckx, whose 1972 mark stood for 12 years.
Voigt rode a modified version of this Trek Speed Concept TT bike to break the record.
Voigt, whose signature solo attacks have thrilled cycling fans since his professional career began in 1997, added his name to the list of legendary record holders and will now call it a career once and for all.
Trek and Shimano partnered to create a rear cog with optimal gearing specifically for the attempt. The handlebar and stem are the same as on a standard UCI-legal Trek Speed Concept TT bike with special ends that replace the shifters and provide a clean, aero profile to the bar and extension ends.
In 2014, the UCI unified the two previous classifications (Athlete's Hour and Best Human Effort) into a single classification in line with regulations for current track pursuit bikes. Voigt was the first attempt under the new rules.
"It's absolutely what we thought would happen, to bring the hour record back to status in a new era," said UCI president Brian Cookson. "It was pointless to continue the old system, we needed to allow the technology and bring back the magic. It was wonderful. Congratulations to Jens and all the Trek Factory Racing team."
Jens Voigt put cycling's hour record back into the headlines Thursday in Grenchen, Switzerland. In front of over 1600 fans at the Velodrome Suisse, he set a new record distance of 51.110 kms to break the 2005 benchmark of 49.700 kms set in 2005 set by Ondrej Sosenka.
Voigt was ahead of his set timetable from the first lap, and he slowly built on his lead as the seconds ticked off the clock. He never appeared in trouble and was able to increase his pace in the final 10 minutes to bring his speed over the 51km/h mark for the first time. [Watch a full replay of the historic effort in the video below.]
"I started as usual too fast, but that is just me I can't control myself, and I realized that I was a second faster on the first lap than on the timetable so I tried to pace myself a little," said Voigt. "But I was in good shape, just right. I am perfectly fit for this moment, I am in very good shape, and after 20 minutes I had gained one lap but I was still feeling in control. Then from 20-40 minutes I had a comfortable lead and I paced myself and was still gaining a little time. Then in the last 20 I sped up a little and gained another lap. The last 10 minutes were flat out - all-in. My only thoughts were to not over pace, to focus on holding the black line and to stay aero - no side thoughts."
General Manager Luca Guercilena commented on Voigt's Hour Record from Spain where Trek Factory Racing is currently preparing for the World Championship Team Time Trial on Sunday. "At the start I was pretty worried because I knew the time schedule and he was fast, but then I was happy when I saw him balancing. I knew that at 40 minutes it was the line where he would either increase or go down and I was super happy to see him increase. It was really impressive to see him do this at the age of 43 - but Jens is Jens."
After it was over Voigt was able to take in what he had just accomplished. He admitted, even through the suffering, he was able to enjoy the moment. "The first 10 minutes I could not feel the pedals and thought, 'oh this is easy!' Then I went, 'oooooh, maybe you'd better pace yourself a little bit here.' Then I went on cruising speed from 20-40 mins. But I could feel at that speed I was good, I could hold on to this speed, I am not going to break down or slow down. So I felt in control, and yes indeed I had a little bit of time to enjoy it."
In the final 30 minutes Voigt began standing at interspersed moments, the first show of the strain and pain from the tremendous effort. "Having this cramped up position to hold for an hour is pretty tough. Basically the place where I sit on the saddle was really beginning to hurt and giving me a lot of pain, so every 10 laps I got out of the seat to stretch and release some pressure of my behind so to speak. I am happy that I don't have to sit on the saddle for the next days now."
Originally established in 1876, the hour record is one of the most revered achievements in cycling. Through the years, it has been held by such greats as Coppi, Anquetil, and Eddy Merckx, whose 1972 mark stood for 12 years.
Voigt rode a modified version of this Trek Speed Concept TT bike to break the record.
Voigt, whose signature solo attacks have thrilled cycling fans since his professional career began in 1997, added his name to the list of legendary record holders and will now call it a career once and for all.
Trek and Shimano partnered to create a rear cog with optimal gearing specifically for the attempt. The handlebar and stem are the same as on a standard UCI-legal Trek Speed Concept TT bike with special ends that replace the shifters and provide a clean, aero profile to the bar and extension ends.
In 2014, the UCI unified the two previous classifications (Athlete's Hour and Best Human Effort) into a single classification in line with regulations for current track pursuit bikes. Voigt was the first attempt under the new rules.
"It's absolutely what we thought would happen, to bring the hour record back to status in a new era," said UCI president Brian Cookson. "It was pointless to continue the old system, we needed to allow the technology and bring back the magic. It was wonderful. Congratulations to Jens and all the Trek Factory Racing team."