Kashechkin postpones hour record bid until 2012

After having initially announced that he would make an attempt at the world hour record on the velodrome in Astana, Kazakhstan during the upcoming World Cup event, Andrei Kashechkin has renounced this goal - at least for this season. On his Facebook page, the rider stated that he was preparing to set a new hour record in the velodrome of his home country's capital but that he planned to achieve it next year.

"It's a very important objective to me. I am very interested by this challenge but not for this season. I hope I will be able to set up an appointment next season," the 31-year-old said.

The Sary-Arka velodrome in Astana will host the first of four rounds of the UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics from November 4-6. Kashechkin, who switched from Lampre to the Astana team in the middle of this season after returning from a doping ban in 2010, reportedly aims to lay down a new marker in his home country.

The current record is held by Ondrej Sosenka. The Czech rider covered 49.7 kilometres in Moscow, Russia, on July 19, 2005. Sosenka later tested positive for methamphetamine in 2008.