Second Edition News for December 8


Indurain proud padre

On Wednesday 12/7/95 Marisa, wife of Miguel Indurain, gave birth to their first child. It was a boy, weighing 4,10 kilos and 50 centimetres long.

Nico Emonds' Hour Record Attempt

Belgian rider Nico Emonds of the Belgian team Espace Card, improved his hour distance to 52.466km yesterday (December 6) on the Bordeaux track, having covered 51.801km on the same track on November 13. Emonds is therefore now the fifth best performer over the hour.

In a career that has covered thirteen seasons, Emonds' high points were two stage wins in the Vuelta a Espana in 1990 and one in the Tour of Belgium in 1986, the rest of his 28 victories being in lesser races. Formerly a member of Tony Rominger's Mapei team, Emonds was dropped by directeur-sportif Patrick Lefevere after the 1994 season, reportedly because his temperament was too individualistic.

His current team sponsored his second Bordeaux ride for which he prepared for two weeks in Malaga, his first having been self-financed. "Lefevere claimed that I wouldn't be able to ride at more than 50km to the hour," Emonds said after his latest attempt, "I wanted to prove the contrary." Emonds said his objective had been to surpass 53km and he was able to maintain 52.6kph between the 15th and 35th kilometre before his speed dropped off.

He rode a monobloc carbon-fibre French Hannart bike with gearing of 59x14. He hasn't yet decided what to do with his career in the future. "I could as well consecrate next year to the world pursuit championships as return to my former craft of carpenter," he said.

Top 20 Hour Distances

1. Tony Rominger 5 Nov 1994 Bordeaux 55.291 2. Tony Rominger 22 Oct 1994 Bordeaux 53.832 3. Miguel Indurain 3 Sep 1994 Bordeaux 53.040 4. Graeme Obree 27 April 1994 Bordeaux 52.713 5. Nico Emonds 6 Dec 1995 Bordeaux 52.466 6. Chris Boardman 23 Jul 1994 Bordeaux 52.270 7. Francesco Moser 15 Jan 1994 Mexico City 51.840 8. Nico Emonds 13 Nov 1995 Bordeaux 51.801 9. Graeme Obree 17 Jul 1993 Hamar 51.596 10. Francesco Moser 23 Jan 1984 Mexico City 51.151 11. Graeme Obree 16 Jul 1993 Hamar 50.690 12. Francesco Moser 21 May 1988 Stuttgart 50.644 13. Pierre-Henri Mentheour 29 Sep 1995 Bordeaux 50.545 14. Francesco Moser 19 Jan 1984 Mexico City 50.808 15. Cyril Sabatier 11 Nov 1995 Bordeaux 50.052 16. John Frey 10 Oct 1991 Colorado Springs 49.946 17. Francesco Moser 3 Oct 1986 Milan 49.801 18. Viatcheslav Ekimov 27 Oct 1986 Moscow 49.672 19. Eddy Merckx 25 Oct 1972 Mexico City 49.431 20. Dominique Chignoli 19 Aug 1993 Colorado Springs 49.276