I have no involvement in this position, though I did email a few pointers after I saw the video.

I would like to point out something that I think is pretty cool. Lionel did email me inquiring about using the LA velodrome for this attempt. It remains closed due to Covid, but I did point out that it would be smarter to go down to Aquascalientes as it's much faster. His response, I believe, will make you respect him that much more. He said he didn't want to make the attempt at altitude because the current record was set at sea level, and he thought it only fair that he should make his attempt at sea level as well to keep things even. I was pleasantly surprised at this response and his respect for fair play. Rooting for him all the way.

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Jim Manton / ERO Sports

OK I was just watching his video and he says he is going with a 61x13.

To put a few set ups in perspective:

• Eddy Merckx: 52x14 for 49.431
• Obree: 52x12 for 51.596
• Boardman on Corima standard tri bars: 53x13 for 52.270
• Rominger: 60x14 for 55.291
• Boardman Super man: 56x13 for 56.373

All of these numbers were done above 100 RPM, closer to 105 RPM on mainly lower gearing than post 2014 other than Rominger. Since 2014 slighly larger gearing but most are still way lower than Lionel

• Rohan Dennis 56x14 52.491
• Bradley Wiggins, 58x14 54.528
• Victor Campanaerts 61x14 55.089

Lionel is going with a gear that is 26 percent larger than Eddy Merckx to go for a target near Eddy's speed (Canadian Hour record is a touch slower). The delta between Lionel's gearing and Victor's is 8% but Victor ended up going 55 kph. Rominger and Campanaerts used the same gear and ended up at the same speed, but Rominger was at sea level in Bordeaux (but there was no blood passport back then) vs Campanaerts at sea level.

Lionel will end up cranking at much lower RPM than most of the guys who did this. The rough math is he will end up riding more at closer to half IM or IM cadence than world hour cadence at the target speed (maybe 88-90 RPM)?

Or he's planning to end up riding as fast as Rominger and Campanaerts with close to 100 cadence on the biggest gear ever used till now.

He says right in the video that he plans to do this ride at 89 rpm.

I wish Lionel success in his attempt. Do you think his elbow width distance and forearms are too wide in terms of their placement? Most record attempts appear to have forearms nearly touching or touching.

He could have been a lot faster, too! The rocket fuel coursing through his veins allows for a lot of aero sins. Show me a pic in the last 20 years of an hour record setter, that has a position similar to Indurain. A few things have been learned regarding aero optimization in 25 years.

Interesting that LA was even a consideration. VELO is such a slow track. And it's hard to ride. An hour on VELO would be super-tiring just holding the line. Milton is a really good track for this. Plus you avoid any of the potential risks associated with needing to do an altitude block. If you can't do altitude, sea level makes a lot more sense, and not just from the standpoint of "fair play." Campanaerts did that big block (6wks, IIRC) in Namibia before heading to Aguas; without something like that (most likely would be, IMO, a block at Colorado Springs), I don't think you'd want to do an hour at altitude. For the pursuit - especially 3K, it's fine, but even there, Mike McCarthy said the altitude hit hard without preparation.

Milton's not that much slower than Aguas since they refinished it. And if you can train on it regularly, that counts for a lot. Milton is certainly one of the better "hour tracks," and, as Dan Bigham showed with his 53.5 at Derby, familiarity counts for a lot. I forget what the track record is for IP in Milton, but in the TP, the Canadians won PanAms in 3:49 ("only" 5 sec off the WR) and the Danes went 3:53 in 2018. That's quick. Granted, that's pretty much the same core that set the current WR of 3:44 (just swapping Folsach for Rodenberg) in Berlin this year (also, notably, at sea level, but very likely with some HVAC trickery as is so common). The Canadian women went 4:13 (only 1 sec off the WR) there in 2018. So it's a fast track. And, especially based on the Canadian's 3:49 and - even more so - 4:13 (by the women), the value of a track you can ride regularly is massive. Will be interesting to see if he gets good air or not on the day.

Especially given that it won't even take 50km to set a new record, Milton is the clear choice. And even going for a substantially further mark, it's still a very good option. The only case now where I would say Aguas (or probably Bolivia) is a real requirement is if you're talking about the overall hour. But one track where I absolutely would never want to do an hour attempt is VELO.

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"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp

I highly doubt it. I think your math is off though. Isn't 61 x 13 @ 100 rpm more like 59 kph?

Even at 90 rpm that would be around 53 kph, which would be a very respectable performance comparable to Dennis and Dowsett, maybe a bit ambitious? As long as he can keep the legs going at around 83 rpm no matter what, he will take the Canadian record.

I have always found Rominger's performance to be the most impressive. 55.3 kph for a ~135 lb guy on a steel road frame with aerobars and discs at seal level. Yeah, he was working with Ferrari. This is just my opinion and I have no evidence, but I am not convinced the top of the sport is fully "clean" these days.

Indurain perhaps had the engine to go a bit faster, but he never looked comfortable on the track and I don't think his aero setup on that god-awful bike was that great. If anything his 92 TT setup seemed faster.

As Lionel has asserted he´s shooting for a cadence he is extremely proficient and familiar at.

Dev et al..... you can opine about pedals, elbows, hands, head, gearing, cadence etc... etc... but this is a "short window", "have a crack", "have some fun doing something crazy"

It is not optimise the beejesus out of everything to the n´th degree (and believe me I am well versed in all the equipment, gearing, cadence, CdA, position, environmental factors marginal gain stuff...) in a manner that would compromise comfort and power in short term and in reality take 9 months to prep, plan and adapt to.

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David T-D
http://www.tilburydavis.com

I hope he has practiced long blocks at that low of an rpm.

MVH rides super low rpm, but she's an anomaly. Pretty much everyone that starts on a gear setup for that low of an rpm is going to have to be worried about it getting on top of them for the last third or so.

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My Blog - http://leegoocrap.blogspot.com

Am I right in saying Ed Veal is the current record holder? I have an idea that a UCI Pro did the hour a few years ago (Canadian) but I can't remember.

Yes, 48.587kmph

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David T-D
http://www.tilburydavis.com

Thanks for your input. Some of us get the feeling that this was perhaps not your first choice for a "pandemic goal". It does seem like an exciting event, and it would be great to see the Canadian record go over the 50 kph mark.

I was pointing out that he has the highest gearing EVER of any athlete who has ended with an hour record (highest gearing previously was 61x14). He will probably end up riding in between 85 RPM and 90 RPM depending on his final speed which is also an outlier for 1 hour threshold effort.

Am I right in saying Ed Veal is the current record holder? I have an idea that a UCI Pro did the hour a few years ago (Canadian) but I can't remember


Yes - Ed Veal, who will be joining me in the commentary for Live Stream currently holds the Official Canadian One Hour Record.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Tilbers, I never made any comments on HIS pad width or his pedal selection or his aero position. Just that his gearing selection is an outlier for his target speed.

Just to be clear, the picture of Indurain was meant in jest. His position was bad relative to everyone before and after him, but that roughly worked for him on the road (and for sure, what was in his veins was on par with his peers...remember how much Lemond beat Indurain by in the 1989 finishing ITT....Indurain was not even in the same time zone in the pre EPO era in 89)


But to add to his discomfort, Big Mig went to 190mm cranks in the month leading up to his attempt when his road crank length was 175mm. No wonder he looked uncomfortable. But he did this when the theory was longer cranks at the same pedal force will result in more crank torque and keeping the same RPM riders would magically generate more power. Almost everyone before Indurain did it on 175's Everyone was on 175's from Anquetil to Obree (including Boardmans's first record on the Corima). Later Boardman went to 170 for the superman.

Lionel will end up cranking at much lower RPM than most of the guys who did this. The rough math is he will end up riding more at closer to half IM or IM cadence than world hour cadence at the target speed (maybe 88-90 RPM)?


Some observations having spent A LOT of time watching top level triathletes race and A LOT of time watching top level Road Racers and in particular Track Cyclists race. The triathletes have a lower turnover compared to the Roadies and in particular the Track specialists. For the latter, many of come up through the Youth and Junior ranks where they have a max gear for the U20 riders, so ounce up to speed, higher, and higher cadence is the ONLY way to get the bike to go faster. Watching a U20 race, you see quickly where the "soupless" with lap after lap of open racing at over 120 RPM! That's NOT Lionel.

As David said, he's picked a gear that matches what HIS optimal RPM will be. The testing that he has done on the track so far, has told him that. He rides best at about 88 - 90. Trying to ride at 100 - 105, would be out side his wheelhouse.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

By the way, what is the US record now?

As for Milton, its also really easy for travel given where he lives too! Its about as cheap a location as he could end up with!!!! No jetlag and body adjustments either. This should be very awesome.

By the way, what is the typical "addtional distance" that the best riders ride due to not being "on the line" for the entire hour? Or put another way, what is good "additional distance"?

Milton's not that much slower than Aguas since they refinished it. And if you can train on it regularly, that counts for a lot. Milton is certainly one of the better "hour tracks," and, as Dan Bigham showed with his 53.5 at Derby, familiarity counts for a lot. I forget what the track record is for IP in Milton, but in the TP, the Canadians won PanAms in 3:49 ("only" 5 sec off the WR) and the Danes went 3:53 in 2018. That's quick. Granted, that's pretty much the same core that set the current WR of 3:44 (just swapping Folsach for Rodenberg) in Berlin this year (also, notably, at sea level, but very likely with some HVAC trickery as is so common). The Canadian women went 4:13 (only 1 sec off the WR) there in 2018. So it's a fast track. And, especially based on the Canadian's 3:49 and - even more so - 4:13 (by the women), the value of a track you can ride regularly is massive. Will be interesting to see if he gets good air or not on the day.



Good input.

Thanks, Jordan

Dan Bingham, has told me that Milton is reasonably fast - but he also said, that the turns are not 100% symmetrical, and you need to be careful when you have the bike at speed! It seemed strange to me, but there's a big difference between my 35 - 40km/h on the track on a drop bars and Dan, riding 50 - 55km, on aero bars a few cm off the rear wheel of one of his team mates in a Team Pursuit!!

Familiarity with the track is key. As it is Lionel's only been on the track a few times. This may be his biggest limiter. How many laps of the track has Lionel done vs a World Class Track Pursuiter like Dan Bingham??

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

US record is still Zirbel's 53.037. That record certainly could/should fall. I had planned to take a crack at it either this fall or early next year (likely Aguas, likely with a camp at Colo Springs), but that was before Covid. The HUUB guys had talked about heading to Bolivia to try to set a bunch of records - and it would have made sense to include Ashton, who I think could for sure break Zirbel's record with only a bit of focused preparation. I thought - and still think (at least for maybe another year or so) - that I could do it; Zirbel just left so, so much on the table in terms of optimization; by power he should have ridden at least another 1km further. IIRC, he did somewhere between 420-440 (he's a big dude...). But on a Diamondback Serios? In 53x13? With a stock front end? I mean, it's astonishing... Thin air helps... A LOT.

But Covid has also changed my perspective on what bike riding and racing means to me. I've been off the track for so long it seems very strange to think about an hour attempt. Master's Worlds coming back to LA next October is appealing, but it's also still quite hard to have any confidence that things will return to "normal." Canada is much more normal in that regard, though still, one has to wonder how track cycling will (or won't) survive Covid. Without the Olympics, will it? It was already super niche, and I don't know that I believe Tokyo games will happen, and - even if they do - will track world cups be a thing again? Lots of athletes crowded together indoors? I just don't know... With so much uncertainty in general, the sway of these types of things seems ... different. At least to me. I know that was a bit of a tangent...

In terms of how much of a difference a good or bad line makes, it certainly can add up. Probably easier to give some perspective on what a "good" line or a "bad" line measures out to.

The red line - aka the sprinters line - is somewhere between 70-90cm above the black line. The blue line is 5m above the black. The total difference in length riding the blue line - which would be beyond bad; it would be truly atrocious - is 15m over a single lap (or an additional 6%). Riding the red line would be an additional approx. 6m (2.4%). You can do the math yourself, but plenty of sites have done it for you - https://www.trackcyclingacademy.com/...around-the-velodrome.

Assuming that a bad line kind of floats between black/red, I think you'd be looking at likely an additional approx. 1% additional distance. You'll ALSO suffer some losses from scrubbing speed on the lateral movement. I think 1% at the very least is likely for the difference between, for example, Bigham and Lionel on the same track. Bigham's 53.5 on 350w is truly remarkable. That's a combination of incredible discipline, optimization, and execution. IIRC, it was within like 0.1% of what he predicted he could do based on testing. Maybe even less. Most of those HUUB guys (except the bigger Tanfields) have CdAs down under 0.18. There's rumors that Archibald even got under 0.16, which is insane. In March, after a fair bit of refinement, I was just a shade under 0.2. While it would have been a huge investment, I was seriously considering the new Wattshop front end, which would have given me the potential to get under 0.19. Wiggins was 0.185, IIRC, from what Josh P told me.

I doubt Lionel is under 0.2, but he might be. At least, for the start. Will be interesting to see how his position degrades (or doesn't) over the hour. As DTD said, there's a ton more optimization that they could have done if this was a serious attempt at the hour. Given the number of strong Canadian TTers and also just how good their TP team is, the fact that the HR is <49km is actually quite shocking. I mean, yeah altitude and all of that, but our very own Kevin Metcalfe's 55-59 HR is notably further than the current Canadian HR. The fact that a triathlete (even one whose physiology and training regime biases him towards such an attempt) is even a consideration for breaking this record essentially "on a lark" still surprises me.

Interesting aside, back before the current hour craze kicked off in full swing, Sebi thought about making a go at the overall HR. Back when Jensie set the record at 51.1. Sebi was extremely confident he could have bested that mark, but he said, "why? to what end?" And I suppose that's really a big part of why the Canadian mark is so low. The HR sucks to train for. Sucks to do. And it's expensive. And no one really cares, at least from a financial perspective. I do hope Ganna goes for it. But I'd rather see him go sub-4. But we shall see. Covid has changed so much about the sporting world, and I don't think it's done yet.

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"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp

Im excited to see this too, good luck Lionel! For those of us that have never ridden on a track. Is a track slippery? Does one have to be careful about sudden accelerations or is it the opposite and very grippy? is sweat a factor dripping on the track later in the hour?

They can be slick'ish depending on the surface and the finish, (and of course the tires) the real danger is of going too slow around the bends, at which point you'll slide off the track. Last year lap1 of a scratch race the guy right above me did that... taking out about 4 of us, not a lot of fun. In general the only concern you'd have with a sudden acceleration would be pulling a wheel... but that only realistically happens with worn/improperly adjusted equipment, or on a standing start where a guy is pulling ~1800+watts. Water could be an issue, but it would take more than the amount you would sweat.

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My Blog - http://leegoocrap.blogspot.com

Thanks for your detailed response. I would think that moving out of Covid19, track racing will fall into the same category as swim meets. Lots of people indoors with a few athletes racing. I think we will get there so you guys will be back on the track. We have had world wars get in the way of sport and then its all restarted later. Human spirit won't let all this die off. Our memories of misery are short on all fronts. Just give it time.

As for US record, your attempts, I assume wider pad width gives you more control in terms of traveling too far on each lap but an aero penalty. In terms of TTing and puttind down power and aero position, I think your weight is around the same as Chris Boardman's was and you're 15 cm taller? So someone like Chris would have a major aero advantage (shorter legs, shorter torso)? By the way, what crank length were you going to use. Shorter cranks to get more aero, or lengths like the former winners (I suppose 175 on you is like 165 on Boardman anyway). And what gearing and RPM would you have been targeting.

One more question, on the helmet front. Back in the day Boardman, Rominger and others just used fairings. I assume the helmets required for use today are normal aero helmets with more frontal than old school fairnings and more aero drag. What is the thinnest frontal helmet that current guys can get away with?

It seems like he just went for his 3k running PB and might be going for his 5km PB this week? I hope that timing isn't going to compromise this one hour effort.