Wiggins not underestimating Dowsett’s Hour Record but aims for 55.250km

Image 1 of 3

Bradley Wiggins's date with Hour Record destiny is fast approaching with the former Tour de France champion looking to break fellow countryman Alex Dowsett's record of 52.937km in London's Olympic velodrome at the end of the week.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Wiggins has declared that although he will not underestimate Dowsett’s record he will aim to push himself towards 55.250km. He also refused to rule out aiming for Chris Boardman's Superman record of 56.375km that was set back in 1990s when the UCI rules were far more relaxed over bikes and rider position.

"If the conditions are right on the day. They would have to be really right. A lot of the hour record is dictated by temperature and air pressure. Air pressure is everything," Wiggins told Sky Sports.

"The weather forecast for the first week in June is abnormally low pressure for London for that time of year, which is fantastic. That has dictated everything. You could go a kilometre either way depending on air pressure.

"If the conditions are right, it's possible. The goal is to break the record first and foremost. I wouldn't underestimate the record that Alex has done."

Wiggins is no stranger to the track having racked up multiple Olympic medals and World titles before a more road-focused schedule took over after the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Since then the British rider has concentrated on the road events and won the Tour de France in 2012. However he hung up his Team Sky wheels after Paris-Roubaix in April and has planned to retire after a track campaign at the Rio Olympics next year.

His track pedigree will be crucial at this weekend’s record attempt and he told Sky Sports how pacing determines the success of any potential bid.

"Pace judgement is everything in the hour record," he told them. "If you can ride 16.1 or 16.2-second laps constantly for 221 laps, and not go 15.9s or 16.4s, it's keeping it on the line every lap, lap after lap.

"The most efficient way is to keep the power [constant], and that in itself is a skill. If you look at Alex Dowsett's [graph], he went like that [upward line] because he went faster, but people like Thomas Dekker [who failed in an attempt in February 2015] were all over the shop.

"It's like sitting on the motorway in the fast lane revving it in third gear, braking really hard, revving it. It's just a case of putting it in cruise control at 70mph and sitting. It's the most efficient way for a record like this."