Dutch individual pursuit champion Dion Beukeboom has announced that he will attempt to break the UCI Hour Record next year in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The current mark of 54.526 kilometres was established by Bradley Wiggins in London in June 2015.
The 28-year-old Beukeboom rode for Continental outfit Destil-Jo Piels on the road this season, and won bronze medals on the track in the pursuit at the European Championships in 2015 and 2016. Although he acknowledged that he does not have the same pedigree as Wiggins, Beukeboom does not feel that the Briton's mark is unassailable.
"I do not have the illusion that I am a better cyclist than Wiggins. But I also know that Wiggins set his record in conditions that were not ideal," Beukeboom told Dutch newspaper AD.
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Beukeboom's coach Jim van den Berg – who was part of Thomas Dekker's coaching team for his unsuccessful hour record attempt in Aguascalientes in 2015 – believes that the commercial aspects of Wiggins' televised hour record ultimately restricted the athletic performance of the 2012 Tour de France winner.
"Wiggins rode in London, on a track at sea level, with high air pressure," Van den Berg told AD. "It was a commercial party. Tickets were sold, a book about the hour record attempt was published, VIPs were invited to come and watch. However, the hour record was not as impressive as it could have been. There is a window of opportunity and we want to crawl through it."
Van den Berg believes Beukeboom can save between 25 and 45 watts by attempting the Hour Record on the track amid the lower air pressure of Aguascalientes, which lies almost 2000 metres above sea level.
No publicity stunt
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