With 39,000 people watching the 42-year-old Jens Voigt covered 51.115 kilometers in 60 minutes, breaking the hour record鈥攁 measure of how far a cyclist can ride in 60 minutes. The distance to beat was 49.7 kilometers (30.882 miles), a record which was set in 2005 by Czech rider Ondrej Sosenka. But unlike every rider who鈥檚 competed since 2000, Voigt rode in a modern pursuit position and with aero gear聽thanks to a UCI rule change in May.
Voigt’s attempt is likely to renew interest in the hour record, which lost much of its relevance and luster in 2000 when the UCI limited the positions and equipment cyclists could use in the race.