Today is the day Bradley Wiggins will attempt to write his name into cycling history by becoming the latest man to conquer the Hour Record. He has to beat Alex Dowsett’s record of 52.937km and those who know him have claimed that he has become a changed man since focussing on his attempt, commenting on how focussed he is.

“You’re a one-man band,” he told reporters at the velodrome on Tuesday. “From the start of this it was my project – I had to take control and lead it, and have my own input and ideas on what I thought I needed to do for this record. So in that sense it’s been a lot easier than just being dictated to. It’s quite liberating.”

“I’ve kind of been the head of it for the last seven weeks, dictating to everyone, ‘we’re going to do this, we’re going to do that’. So you are your own boss really. It’s like being in charge of the company and telling everyone what to do. It’s a lot easier – a hell of a lot easier.”

Wiggins says he has taken lots of precautions ahead of the event, even seeking advice from two former record holders, Chris Boardman and Miguel Indurain. 

At the beginning, Wiggins was aiming for 55km and that has dropped to 54km now. All eyes will be on the London velodrome tonight to see what Wiggins can do.