Could Ganna lose his throne? British ex-professional aims to break the Italian's hour record

The hour record is one of the most mythical events in cycling. For 60 minutes, the rider who tries to record the best time gets on the bike to try to cover the greatest possible distance in that interval, usually at a velodrome. Since 2022, that honor has been held by Filippo Ganna. The Italian INEOS Grenadiers cyclist has been on the throne for more than 3 years thanks to his 56,792 kilometers. But could he soon lose it?

The 30-year-old British rider, Harry Tanfield, has revealed in statements reported by the BBC that he will try to break the hour record soon.

If he succeeds, he would be the fourth Briton to take the record, recording the longest distance ridden on track in 60 minutes - since the UCI changed the rules in 2014 - after Alex Dowsett, Bradley Wiggins and Dan Bigham.

"I identified this year, after the Games, as the time when I would have the freedom to give it a go. I've been preparing for this since I returned to training after the Games, so it's been months of training and learning to get to this point. On D-day, my goal is to ride the perfect race for my ability. If I can do that and put it all into practice, I'll be happy," he said.

A few weeks ago, the hour record was already a topic of conversation. The legendary Eddy Merckx, who broke it in 1972, challenged Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel to try the challenge. Both are currently two of the best cyclists in the world, and achieving this milestone would round off the record, especially the former.

"My career would not be complete without the Record. At the end of 1972, I was tired, out of shape, but after three weeks of specific preparation in Italy, I was recovered. We crossed the Atlantic to Mexico and everything went well. But I suffered a lot. After that effort, I could barely walk for a week," said Eddy Merckx in a conversation with Le Soir last June.