New Wellington Record Set For Classic Cycling Discipline

New Wellington Record Set For Classic Cycling Discipline

12 March, 2014

Miramar's Nick Warren established a new Wellington Velodrome record for 'The Hour', one of the classic benchmarks in cycling, riding 41.135km in the allotted 60 minutes. The 37-year-old Port Nicholson Poneke Cycling Club (PNP) member rode consistently, recording lap splits of between 28 and 30 seconds throughout to complete 123 laps and a further 135m on 11 March 2014.

The world hour record was first set in 1893 and has been attempted by many of the sport's greats such as Eddy Merckx, Chris Boardman and Miguel Indurain. Former world time trial champion Fabian Cancellara has announced his intention to go for the world record later this year.

Warren used aerodynamic tri bars and his ride is the first known effort in the discipline for Wellington's velodrome.

"I'm very happy with that distance," said Warren. "I was aiming for 40km so to add another kilometre and a bit to that is fantastic."

"It was a very intense ride. There are no distractions or changes of scene on the track compared to say, riding a 40km time trial on the road. I had two or three things I kept focussing on to keep pace and block out the pain."

Peter Moore, PNP's Track Convener said Warren's record was remarkable. "Most hour records are set on smooth wooden indoor tracks, sometimes at altitude, so riding over 41km is a great achievement on Wellington velodrome's concrete surface, in open air and at sea level," said Moore. "It's the first known hour record for Wellington but it's not a soft target."

Warren is an accomplished track cyclist, winning the local track cycling series, the Burkes Cycles Speed League in 2013, and the 8km Masters' Stayers Cup race last December. He also holds the fastest time on the track for the 3000m pursuit, but says the hour record is there to be beaten.

"There are some very strong riders in Wellington who I'd love to see having a go at this."

More information on track racing in Wellington: www.pnp.org.nz/track

ENDS

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