KM ROMINGER BOARDMAN DIFFERENCE
(5-11-94) (6-9-96)
Bordeaux Manchester
1 1'10"5 1'10"8 + 0"3
5 5'30"2 5'27" - 3"2
10 10'53"4 10'47"l - 6"3
15 16'17"2 16'05"5 -11"7
20 21'42"8 21'23"9 -18"9
25 27' 8"6 26'42"5 -26"1
30 32'34"9 32' -34"9
35 38' 0"4 37'20"7 -39"7
40 43'26"8 42'41"2 -45"6
45 48'53"5 48' 1"1 -52"4
50 54'18"7 53'21"7 -57"
1 hour 55,291 km 56,375 km + 1,084 km
He covered 56.3759 km in a solo ride against the clock that started nervously and built to a crescendo of triumph as the 3,500 capacity crowd roared him on.
Boardman, aiming for the 1994 mark of 55.291 km set by Switzerland's Tony Rominger in Bordeaux, France, was ahead after the first five kilometres. Maintaining a 56 kph pace, he was 34 seconds faster through 30 km.
At that point he was also well inside the schedule he set when he first took the record from compatriot Graeme Obree in Bordeaux three years ago.
``I was apprehensive and nervous at the start, and I never thought that to beat it by so much was possible,'' said Boardman. ``Perhaps 55.54 but not these figures.
``I had to ease my arms and back during the ride because of my position,'' said Boardman who has adopted Obree's ``Superman'' -- arms outstretched -- riding style.
``I had to adjust my position during tests this week, because I discovered that after 20 kilometres I was cramping in my arms. It seems the shoulder muscles were having to support my body, so I made a change so that the weight was taken by my skeleton. My arms gave me a lot of trouble but it was worth it.''
Among the first to congratulate Boardman was Belgium's Eddy Merckx who set the world hour mark 24 years ago in Mexico.
Last week on the same fast track, the British rider set two world 4,000 metres marks on his way to the world pursuit championship.
The record has made up for a disappointing Tour de France when Boardman was weakened by a viral infection.
``After that I wanted three things. A world title, the world hour record, and now the world time trial crown.''
Next month in Lugano, Switzerland he tries for the treble, buoyed by Friday's performance which left him and his trainer Peter Keen astonished.
``I was shocked by it,'' said Keen. Boardman said: ``I had scheduled to go for 55.750 km and I thought that it would be difficult to maintain that pace.
``This is my personal limit. I don't want to ever do it again, and these figures will make other contenders think twice.
``The crowd had a great effect. Every time they got louder I went faster. I had to be careful not to over-cook it.''
It was the 28-year-old Englishman's third world record in 10 days -- all at his local track -- when smashing the highly coveted record to become the first man to break the 56-kilometre barrier.
"I was very apprehensive at the start," admitted Boardman, who rode in his now famous Superman position with just a minor adjustment to his handlebars.
"The saddle was a bit of a problem, and my arms were a real problem in that position. But I think it's worth it for that sort of performance."
Boardman, whose figure of 56.3759km (35.03 miles) added 1.08km to the previous record held for two years by Tony Rominger of Switzerland, was ahead of the clock all the way.
He was just over three seconds ahead at the five-kilometre mark, and increased the margin steadily, beating Rominger by 34.91 seconds at 30 kilometres.
Boardman maintained his speed to the finish. His fastest kilometre of the night was the 56th, which he covered in 1min 1.572sec.
Only last week, he slashed eight seconds off the 4,000 metres pursuit record during the world championships.
Boardman was regaining the world hour mark which he had himself set at Bordeaux in July 1993, when he clocked 52.270km.
It is cycling's equivalent of the mile mark in athletics and has been held by greats such as Belgian Eddy Merckx, Italy's Francesco Moser and Spain's Miguel Indurain.
And Boardman was as good as his word having declared 24 hours earlier that he planned destroy the one-hour world record so emphatically that his rivals will be too scared to challenge his achievement.
"If all goes to plan I will put the record at such a level that the top riders will have to think long and hard before attempting to break it," said the Liverpool-based rider.
Oct 1972 (Mexico City) Eddy Merckx (Belgium) 49.431 km Jan 1984 (Mexico City) Francesco Moser (Italy) 50.808 Jan 1984 (Mexico City) Moser 51.151 Jul 1993 (Hamar, Norway) Graeme Obree (Britain) 51.596 Jul 1993 (Bordeaux, France) Chris Boardman (Britain) 52.270 Apr 1994 (Bordeaux) Obree 52.713 Sep 1994 (Bordeaux) Miguel Indurain (Spain) 53.040 Oct 1994 (Bordeaux) Tony Rominger (Switzerland) 53.832 Oct 1994 (Bordeaux) Rominger 55.291 Sep 1996 (Manchester, England) Boardman 56.3759