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The first recorded hour record was in 1876 when F. L. Dodds rode 26.508 km on a Penny-farthing high-wheeler. In 1972 , Eddy Merckx set a record of 49.431 km that stood for twelve years, and remains a benchmark for the sport. The UCI record is currently held by Ondřej Sosenka (49.700 km). HISTORY Because of the importance of aerodynamics in this event, the hour record has seen some of the most innovative equipment, but this has led to intense debate in the cycling community over the extent to which records should reflect only the skill, strength and stamina of the cyclist, or whether changes in bicycle design should be allowed to contribute. On July 7 1933 , Francis Faure set a record of 45.055 km riding an aerodynamic Recumbent , but the UCI set the record aside in 1934 and barred recumbents from bike racing. This led to a division of the sport, and hence two classes of record. In one branch of the sport, any design of vehicle is allowed, provided that the power only comes from the rider; this is currently administered by the International Human Powered Vehicle Association . In the other, only Upright Bicycle s are permitted; this branch is administered by the Union Cycliste Internationale . The UCI specifications were not perfectly watertight and so permitted innovation within their parameters. In January 1984 , Francesco Moser set back-to-back hour records, the second being 51.151 km. This was the first widely noted use of Disc Wheel s in cycling, which provided a significant aerodynamic benefit. Moser's record is also disputed for another reason. At the time he was coached by Dr. Michele Ferrari, a known proponent of the use of certain Doping methods such as blood transfusions and the use of EPO . Ferrari later admitted that Moser had used blood transfusions, which were not banned at the time. In 1993 and 1994 , Graeme Obree , a cyclist noteworthy for building his own bikes, in some cases using trash found by the side of the road, posted two records on bikes that put him in unusual body positions: the former in the "egg" position, with his hands tucked under his chest, and the latter in the "superman" position, with his arms straight out in front. Both of these positions were controversial, and while the records were allowed to stand, those positions were banned from future use. Obree and Chris Boardman entered into a sort of competition in which both made several attempts to top the previous hour record. With the increasing gap between the technology that was available and that which prevailed at the time of Eddy Merckx's revered record, the UCI punted on the question of legitimacy by establishing two records: the official UCI Hour Record (which restricts competitors to roughly the same equipment as Merckx) and the unofficial '''Best Human Effort.''' Disallowed under the new rules are time trial helmets, disc or tri-spoke wheels, time trial aerondymic bars, and aerodynamic monocoque frames. All records since 1972, including Chris Boardman 's 1996 mark of 56.375 km were downgraded to "Best Human Effort." In 2000 , Boardman made an attempt on the "UCI Hour Record" riding a more traditional bike, and posted 49.441 km, topping Merckx's record by the tiny margin of 10 m. In 2005 Ondřej Sosenka improved Boardman's performance at 49.700 km using a 54x13 gearing. At 2 metres tall, Sosenka used a quite radical positioning of the seat and a relatively small vertical frame height to stay within the UCI regulations. Ondřej Sosenka has posted photographs of his record-winning bicycle and other information in Czech at http://www.sosenka.cz The IHPVA record led to the development of "fully faired" bicycles: Recumbent Bicycle s, low to the ground, completely enclosed in a fibreglass shell that keeps air resistance to a minimum. As Of 2004 the record holder is Sam Whittingham , who cycled 84.215 km in July 2004 . TRIVIA The Hour record is usually attempted by famous road cyclists towards the end of their career. This is true of Eddy Merckx , Miguel Indurain , Francesco Moser , and Chris Boardman , among others. Eddy Merckx said that his hour record attempt was "the hardest ride I have ever done". Merckx's hour record was set in Mexico City at an altitude of 2300 metres. HOUR RECORDS AND HOLDERS SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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