Praise for Sir Bradley Wiggins flooded in on social media on Sunday evening, after the world and Olympic time trial champion set a new UCI Hour Record of 54.526 kilometres to beat Alex Dowsett’s mark set in May.
Wiggins set a blistering pace around the Lee Valley Velodrome, beating Dowsett’s previous distance by 1.589 kilometres.
Tributes from all over the world were paid on Twitter to Wiggins’s achievement…
Former record holder congratulates new record holder:
Congratulations to Bradley on beating my record, great for the UK cycling scene to have had 2 British record holders.
— Alex Dowsett (@alexdowsett) June 7, 2015
Wiggins’s team tweeted photos of the man himself wearing an impressively speedily-prepared jersey featuring his Hour Record distance:
Congratulations Sir Bradley Wiggins! #MYHOUR #Wiggins pic.twitter.com/AYwCtMNhbR
— Wiggins (@OfficialWIGGINS) June 7, 2015
The Giro d’Italia organiser praised Wiggins as ‘poetry in motion’:
Poetry in motion.
With 54.526 km/h Sir Bradley Wiggins is the new Hour Record holder! Congratulations! pic.twitter.com/tyUvbceWSU— Giro d'Italia (@giroditalia) June 7, 2015
Former Hour Record holder Jens Voigt was the man that got the ball rolling for this latest spate of attempts, but won’t be back for another go:
Congrats @OfficialWIGGINS! Do I have to come back from retirement? #Kidding
— Jens Voigt (@thejensie) June 7, 2015
Another Hour Record legend, Chris Boardman, thinks Wiggins has more in him yet, in the right conditions:
Congratulations to Brad Wiggins, phenomenal effort. 1036mb air pressure. Right day, few tweaks and another km poss. Another go maybe….?
— Chris Boardman (@Chris_Boardman) June 7, 2015
Great Britain team pursuit Olympic champion Dani King said she was inspired:
Brad truly is a legend. I am again inspired. #HourRecord #BradleyWiggins
— Dani King (@DaniKing1) June 7, 2015
We love stats:
Congratulations to @OfficialWIGGINS on a fantastic #UCIHourRecord! High temperatures contribute to fatigue #MyHour pic.twitter.com/rpZByJWOoq
— B Xavier Disley, PhD (@xavierdisley) June 7, 2015
.@OfficialWIGGINS 54.526km is equivalent to cycling Manchester to Liverpool in an hour – although he didn't have to stop for traffic lights!
— Anna Thompson (@BBCAnnaT) June 7, 2015
GB track sprint coach Iain Dyer is amazed at Wiggins’s composure after his effort:
https://twitter.com/iaindyer1/status/607616210730131457
NFTO rider Ian Bibby reflects on Wiggins’s speed:
I wonder if the average man on the street could even sprint to a top speed of 54.5kph never mind hold it for an hour….Tis very impressive
— Ian Bibby (@IanBibby86) June 7, 2015
Former British hill-climb champion Jack Pullar thinks the Tour Series is harder:
I bet that the #HourRecord wasn't as hard as a @TourSeries round. #WIGGINS
— Jack Campbell Pullar (@Jack_Pullar) June 7, 2015
Hour Record attemptee Michael Hutchinson thinks Wiggins’s record may not stand for long
OK — out on a limb here, but I don't think that record will last a year. A pity about the weather, because it was a great ride. #myhour
— Michael Hutchinson (@Doctor_Hutch) June 7, 2015
The final word:
Huge thank you to all of you who came today, all our wonderful volunteers &of course the man himself @OfficialWIGGINS pic.twitter.com/JfP5maj72s
— Lee Valley VeloPark (@LeeValleyVP) June 7, 2015
