It’s been 14 years since Chris Boardman rode that famous world
championship individual pursuit in Manchester; his 4:11.114 considered
unsurpassable, not least of all due to the ‘Superman’ position adopted
to achieve the time. Yesterday Jack Bobridge, the 20-year-old current
U23 road time trial world champion gave us the first real indication
that Boardman’s time may well be toppled in the future.
Bobridge’s time of 4:14.127 may be almost three seconds slower
than Boardman’s time, but the abolition of the ‘Superman’ position
means that it’s the fastest in the world according to UCI regulations.
What’s most encouraging however, is Bobridge’s attitude to further
lowering the mark – he knows there are improvements to be made as it’s
early in the year and more than a month outside the UCI Track World
Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark.
