Huub–Wattbike rider John Archibald sets second fastest individual pursuit time in history
The trade team continue to take the fight to the national squads


In a discipline traditionally dominated by national squads, the Huub–Wattbike riders continue to make their mark on the track.
John Archibald set a new individual pursuit national record and rode to the second fastest time in history at the Manchester Velodrome on Friday (January 25).
During the first session of the National Track Championships, Archibald set a 4-09.584, besting the time he set in Switzerland last month of 4-10.177.
>>> Fastest individual pursuit times in history
Archibald, the older brother of track star and Cycling Weekly columnist Katie, now holds the second and third fastest times in history.
He is quickly closing in his moustachioed American team-mate Ashton Lambie, who set a blistering 4-07.251 at the Pan American Championships in Mexico last year.
The Huub team have been shaking up track cycling by competing against the world’s best national track teams as a trade outfit.
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Last month the squad took their first major win at the UCI Track Cycling World Cup in London, beating the Belgian squad in the team pursuit.
What makes Archibald’s record even more impressive is that he’s now just two seconds off the world record held by Lambie, despite the former setting his record at sea-level.
>>> Katie Archibald column: A born-again bike rider
Lambie, who set the record in Mexico at the Pan-American Championships, joined Huub-Wattbike last year and contributed to the squad’s pursuit gold in London.
The Mexican track sits at 1,888m above sea level and regularly sees fast times set on it’s boards, but Lambie’s recent ride was blessed with near perfect conditions as several other US national records were set at the same competition.
Derby-based team Huub, who sarcastically refer to themselves as citizens of Derbados, is made up of Harry Tanfield, Dan Bigham, John Archibald, Jacob Tipper, Jonny Wale and Lambie.
The national individual pursuit final takes place during Friday evening’s second session.
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Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
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