After racing for the last time in the Team Sky outfit at Paris-Roubaix, Sir Bradley Wiggins turned all his focus to track racing with an attempt to break the hour recond scheduled on June 7 being his next big appearance. Even though fellow countryman Alex Dowsett raised the bar less than one week ago, the reigning ITT world champion believes that his record could stand for 20 years, if he reached 55 kilometers.
In the interview for The Times, the Briton once again emphasized that breaking the existing hour record is no greater challenge than winning the Tour de France or ITT World Championships. Instead, he underlined his ambitions to set the bar high enough to make sure his record lasts many years.
"I don't see it as being any harder than climbing the Ventoux to save fourth place in the Tour de France [in 2009]," he added. "I can't see it being any harder than keeping concentration for three weeks to win the Tour, or riding around Hampton Court with the weight of expectation to win Olympic gold.
"It sounds a bit horrible to say, but I think I could break the record tomorrow," the 35-year-old told The Times. "But I don't just want to break it, I want to put it right up there, as far out of reach as I can.
"I've got 55km in my head and I believe that's realistic. And I think if I do that it will stand for 20 years."
The Olympic Games in Rio will be his next big objective following the hour record attempt, and Wiggins made it absolutely clear that he's going to hang up his wheels afterwards regardless of the obtained result.
"Whatever happens, that will be it after Rio," he concluded.
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