Dan Bigham tackling hour-record attempt on Friday
Because he is not part of the WADA anti-doping pool, his ride will only count as a British record even if he beats the all-time mark.
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British rider Dan Bigham is hoping his momentum from the UCI road world cycling championships last week will have coat-tails as he takes on one of cycling’s most prestigious and painful challenges: the hour record.
The 29-year-old Ribble-Weldtite rider hit 16th in the elite men’s time trial and helped pushed Team GB to fifth in the mixed team relay.
Will those legs help carry him to the history books? He’s hoping so.
“I’ve talked about the hour record long enough,” he said. “Now it’s time to have a proper go.”
Bigham’s attempt at the men’s record is slated for Friday at the Tissot Velodrome in Grenchen, Switzerland, at about 16:00 CET. His partner, Joss Lowden, makes her own hour-record attempt Thursday.
Also read: Joss Lowdon hopes to encourage others to take on hour-record challenge
https://twitter.com/BritishCycling/status/1443210713250533388
There’s a bit of a wrinkle in the proceedings, however.
Because Bigham isn’t in the official WADA testing pool, any new time he manages to set would only count as a British record.
He could even beat the mark set by Victor Campenaerts of 55.089km, yet rules say it would not count as an official world record.
Bigham — who races and helps manage the Huub-Wattbike track cycling team — said he would have to cover all the anti-doping testing costs himself rather than via a WorldTour pro team like many of his road-racing peers. He rarely races on the road, and his 16th at the worlds time trial was his first international result against the clock outside the UK.
Also read: Victor Campenaerts sets new world mark
Right now, Bigham is taking aim at the mark set by 2012 Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins of 54.526km, in London, in 2015.
If successful, he vows to get his paperwork in order to make a UCI-recognized attempt and take aim at the Campenaerts mark.