Storey plays down suggestions of a repeat bid for the world hour record

She made an extremely strong impression in going within 563 metres of equalling the long-standing hour record of Leontien Van Moorsel, but British Paralympian Sarah Storey has ruled out another tilt at the mark.

Storey, who covered 45.502 kilometres in Lee Valley VeloPark in London on Saturday, said that once was enough for her, although she did leave a small possibility open after 2016.

“It’s a once in a lifetime,” she said, speaking to Press Association. “I won’t be considering doing it any time soon. If I ever did it again it would be well after Rio.”

She said that she was extremely fatigued after her effort and expressed admiration for another Briton who took the men’s record in the 1990s after initially failing.

“I have absolutely no idea how Graeme Obree did it again the following day, when he was unsuccessful in his attempt and then successful the day after,” she said. “It’s an incredibly drawn-out, painful process. I hoped I had enough in me to go over 46km but whatever I was going to do was going to be the absolute best I had.

“I feel I couldn’t have given any more and so I can’t be too hard on myself. I was hard enough on myself just to finish on Saturday.”

Storey was initially up on schedule during her effort but then slipped further back and lost ground compared to the pace of Van Moorsel’s pace, who broke the record in 2003.

The latter had an advantage over Storey in that she rode at altitude, benefitting from lower air pressure and thus less aerodynamic resistance.

However the quality of Storey’s effort is reflected in the fact that she went 400 metres further than the previous second best, the 45.094 kilometres clocked by Jeannie Longo in December 2000.

Her ride on Sunday saw her break the British record and also those of the C5 Paralympic and masters’ categories.

Storey was born without a functioning left hand, and has taken 11 Paralympic gold medals.

SpaceKnight

Nothing against Storey`s performance, it was really good! But the way the article is written makes it as if van moorsel had an unfair advantage, while in fact the dutch woman was on a standard bike with normal handlebars and not disk wheels and an aluminium frame from the footage that i remember. This article tries to re-write history as if the height made all the difference: it isn`t so and if van moorsel had the opportunity to ride on a TT handlebar there would be no knowing where that would have ended…
- Dave
  
  This.
  
  That the record set under the old “Merckx bike” rules stood shows just how great Leontien van Moorsel was.
- dimspace
  
  Van Morsels bike was Chromoly tubing, but yes, standard drop handlebars and wire spoked wheels.
  Almost impossible to compare generations though, equipement, location, anti doping at the time of the records (in no way accusing Van Moorsel, but certainly with some of the mens records we are aware they were “assisted”).
  The fact that Sarah’s ride beat no fewer than 3 of Longos “best hour” effort where she was using advanced equipment shows just how good a ride sarahs was.
  - SpaceKnight
    
    I would not be surprised if van Moorsel`s record was `assisted` as you suggested, does not matter though, as for arguments sake we must assume not. great find about the chromoly tubing. you mean to say longo did attempts on a timetrial-like bike?
Jim Turner

Many may not know that USA rider Molly van Houweling, age 41, rode 45.637 kilometers just 3 days before Storey’s effort. That’s 135 meters further than Storey rode. Molly did her ride at the velodrome at Aguascalientes Mexico.

Storey plays down suggestions of a repeat bid for the world hour record

By CyclingTips - March 4, 2015