Italian cyclist will re-attempt Hour Record one day later after stopping at 44-minutes

A spokesperson has called the first effort "a fire-drill"

Image: HVMN

Vittoria Bussi abandoned her Hour Record attempt after 44-minutes on Wednesday, but will take to the boards again around 24-hours later.

>>> UPDATE: Vittoria Bussi breaks Hour Record in second attempt over 48-hours

The attempt was the Italian rider's second assault on the record, an effort just one day later will mark her third.

A spokesperson told Cycling Weekly: "[It was] a bit of a fire-drill yesterday," she stopped the effort due to a pain in her side.

>>> Vittoria Bussi: It has been a personal goal in my life to do something big

In October 2017, Bussi covered 47.576 kilometres - 404m short of the 47.980km distance achieved by Evelyn Stevens in February 2016.

Ahead of her attempt on Wednesday September 13, the 31-year-old said she had worked on her position, conditioning and nutrition strategy.

During the first 15 minutes at the velodrome in Aguascalientes, Mexico, the Doctor in Pure Mathematics averaged 47.850kph.

This increased to 47.915kph at the halfway point, but then dropped to 47.910kph at 40 minutes. Four minutes later, Bussi climbed off her bike.

>>> View timeline of the Hour record

During her 2017 effort, Bussi was above record pace until the 48-minute mark. She lost time after this, and said later that she was hit by a pain in her diaphragm.

In July 1993, Graeme Obree failed his attempt at the Vikingskipet velodrome in Norway, by almost a kilometre. He booked the track the next day - preventing his body from seizing up by drinking a pint of water every few hours over the night. He succeeded, breaking the record by 445m.

Bussi's 2018 attempt has was not streamed on the UCI's YouTube channel, as Dion Beukeboom’s was in August last year. Beukeboom's attempt was also a failure yet has attracted over 87k views.

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Michelle Arthurs-Brennan

Michelle Arthurs-Brennan is a traditional journalist by trade, having begun her career working for a local newspaper, where highlights included interviewing a very irate Freddie Star (and an even more irate theatre owner), as well as 'the one about the stolen chickens'.


Previous to joining the Cycling Weekly team, Michelle was Editor at Total Women's Cycling. She joined CW as an 'SEO Analyst', but couldn't keep her nose out of journalism and in the spreadsheets, eventually taking on the role of Tech Editor before her latest appointment as Digital Editor. 


Michelle is a road racer who also enjoys track riding and the occasional time trial, though dabbles in off-road riding too (either on a mountain bike, or a 'gravel bike'). She is passionate about supporting grassroots women's racing and founded the women's road race team 1904rt.


Michelle is on maternity leave from July 8 2022, until April 2023.