Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Evelyn Stevens Destroys the Hour Record

   The hour record is one of the most grueling efforts in cycling. How far can you ride in an hour? On a track... alone. Well, if you're Evelyn Stevens that number is 47.980 KM (29.8 miles). But I'm getting ahead of myself.

   The first hour was set by Frank Dodds in 1876. He rode 26.508 km (16.471 mi) on a freaking penny-farthing. Since then there have been various rule changes and updates, and like all things cycling, people take it very seriously. Now people are riding it on carbon fiber rocket race sleds.

Stevens' Specialized Shiv

   The previous women's record for the hour of 46.882 km was recently broken by Evelyn Stevens just a few days ago. For those of you (like me) who don't know, Stevens is a US cyclist with a list of accomplishments as long as the hour race is long.

Stevens in Olympic jersey

   Stevens took to the track in Colorado Springs in her attempt to break the record. The place was packed with supporters eager to see her ride, and boy they weren't disappointed. She killed it, riding just over 29mph. For an hour. For her effort she was rewarded with a new world record for distance ridden in an hour:

Evelyn and her record setting bike

   Read more about her on her site, evelynstevens.com. Great job Evelyn!


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