Hour contenders eyeing Bradley Wiggins's record

Bradley Wiggins's Hour Record appears safe for now as cycling's top time trialists are planning otherwise for the 2016 season. An attempt, however, may not be far on the horizon.

Wiggins covered 54.526 kilometres on June 7 after closing out his road career with Team Sky. He is now taking aim at another team pursuit gold medal at the 2016 Olympics.

At the World Championships in Richmond, Virginia, journalists quizzed some of the top riders after the team time trial. German Tony Martin said that he would "for sure" attempt the Hour Record, and maybe as soon as 2017.

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"For sure I will go for it, but probably not next year with the Olympics, another big target," Martin explained.

"In '17, '18 maybe, sometime then. I'll try it for sure one time."

Martin's Etixx-QuickStep team placed second last night in the time trial behind BMC Racing with former Hour Record holder, Australian Rohan Dennis. Englishman Alex Dowsett, who held the record at 52.937 before Wiggins, placed third with team Movistar.

Dennis, who won the opening time trial and wore the yellow jersey for one day in the Tour de France this July, said that he will not try again.

>>> Not impossible to beat Wiggins’s Hour Record, says Tony Martin

Dowsett could do so, but as he wants to give his road career greater focus, Martin may come first.

"Wiggo's distance is big, it would require a hell of a lot of work from the team and the sponsors," the 26-year-old Dowsett said.

"You don't just rock up and ride around the track for an hour, it takes months of preparation and huge amount of effort. With it being 54.5km now, it's a huge ask for anyone."

Not anyone could attempt the record as it requires a big motor and track time.

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Swiss Fabian Cancellara (Trek Factory Racing), four-time world champion, does not have it on his radar after initially considering it in 2014. Italian Adriano Malori (Movistar) is not planning an attempt, either.

Dutchman Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin), third behind Wiggins and Martin in last year's World Champs time trial, and surprise classification rider at the Vuelta a España, will try to improve in grand tours and aim for the Olympic time trial title.

"Physically, it might suit him, but at the moment, it's not something that is on his mind," Giant sports director, Addy Engels said.

"Maybe in the far future."