The world hour record was broken at the Grenchen Velodrome on 19 August 2022. British cyclist Dan Bigham beat the previous record of 55.089 kilometres set by Belgian cyclist Victor Campenaerts on 16 April 2019 in Aguascalientes (Mexico), covering 55.548 kilometres in one hour.
Bigham works as an engineer at Ineos Grenadiers
The 30-year-old Bigham currently works as an engineer for Team Ineos Grenadiers and has celebrated his greatest successes to date mainly on the track. He became British champion in the single pursuit in 2022 and achieved the feat in the team pursuit in 2020, 2019 and 2017. In 2017, he also won the national title in the 1000-metre time trial and the points race.
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Bigham also already holds the British hour record. On 1 October 2021, he rode 54.723 kilometres in one hour - also in Grenchen - breaking the old record of 54.526 kilometres, which was held by Sir Bradley Wiggins.
Hourly world record attempt should have added value for the team
Now Bigham has achieved the big time with the world hour record. "It's just overwhelming, pretty epic," explained the Briton, who exceeded his own expectations. "In my head I wanted to do 55.5 kilometres, so I added another 48 metres, so I'm very happy with that!"
Bigham had previously announced that he would use the knowledge he had acquired in the time trial before and during his attempt at the world hour record for Team Ineos Grenadiers.
"It's not just limited to the track - every week the team takes part in time trials on the road and there's a huge amount of detail that we've considered (in preparing for the world hour record attempt) that will help us improve our time trialling in many ways. Whether it's speed strategies, heat management or equipment development, it's all interlinked," said Bigham.
In the meantime, however, Bigham's hourly world record is already history again. Filippo Ganna has pulverised the Brit's record.
Van Dijk recently broke the women's hourly world record
Grenchen was already a good place to break the world hour record before Bigham's attempt. The men's record has already been broken (see list below) and the women's record has also been broken in Grenchen in the recent past. The Dutchwoman Ellen van Dijk covered 49.254 kilometres on 23 May 2022, improving on the time set by Briton Joscelin Lowden mark of 48,405 kilometres set in September 2021.
The chronology of the men's world hour record
- 19.08.2022: Dan Bigham (GBR), Tissot Velodrome, Grenchen (SUI), 55.548 km
- 16.04.2019: Victor Campenaerts (BEL), Velodromo Bicentenario, Aguascalientes (MEX), 55,089 km
- 07.06.2015: Bradley Wiggins (GBR), Lee Valley VeloPark, London (GBR), 54,526 km
- 02.05.2015: Alex Dowsett (GBR), National Cycling Centre, Manchester (GBR), 52,937 km
- 08.02.2015: Rohan Dennis (AUS), Velodrome Suisse, Grenchen (SUI), 52.491 km
- 30.10.2014: Matthias Brändle (AUT), UCI World Cycling Centre, Aigle (SUI), 51,852 km
- 18.09.2014: Jens Voigt (GER), Velodrome Suisse, Grenchen (SUI), 51,110 km
