Dame Sarah Storey to attempt Hour record in London in February

Dame Sarah Storey will next February become the first woman in 12 years to try to break the UCI Hour record – and her attempt will be made at the velodrome at Lee Valley Velopark where in 2012 she won two of her 11 Paralympic gold medals.

Rule changes by the UCI earlier this year to allow up-to-date bikes and equipment have seen first Jens Voigt and then and Matthias Brändle break the record and others are queueing up to have a go.

Sir Bradley Wiggins is reportedly aiming for the Hour next summer, while Alex Dowsett is expected to announce his own attempt at a press conference in London this Friday.

The current women’s Hour record of of 46.065 kilometres was set by Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel of the Netherlands and dates back to 2003. Storey will try and beat it during Round 5 of the Revolution Series on Saturday 28th February 2015.

She said: “I’m excited and nervous at the prospect of being the first women to take on the record in over a decade.

“I did a couple of days testing up at the Manchester Velodrome to try and work out the output that would be involved over an hour to have a realistic chance of challenging the record and we decided that if I can arrive in good shape I stood a fighting chance.

She added: "Logistically it fits in just about perfectly with the plans I already had put in place for next year which centre around the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships at the end of March – when I will be entering the Individual Pursuit, 500m Time Trial and Scratch Race.”

Her attempt at the record was welcomed by UCI president Brian Cookson, who pushed through the changes to the rules in an attempt to reignite interest in the Hour.

He said: “After two UCI Hour Records in quick succession for the men, I am very pleased that the existing women’s record will now be challenged.

“In amending the regulations, the UCI hoped for exactly this kind of motivation from the world’s best athletes.

“Dame Sarah Storey’s attempt will be eagerly awaited and I am sure it will prompt other top women riders to try to claim this prestigious record.”

FACE Partnership’s managing director, James Pope, added: "There has been a lot of excitement about the the Hour again just recently and as a UCI event we were keen to bring some of that to Britain.

"When Jens Voigt and Mathias Brändle established their records the crowd involvement seemed really high and we felt a high energy Revolution meeting might be the ideal occasion to host such an attempt.

"Obviously these things have to be finessed because firstly the rider has to be in peak physical condition to even contemplate an attempt and with a fair deal of preparation time required it also has to fit in with team duties and requirements.

He added: "We are delighted therefore when Dame Sarah Storey accepted our invitation to make her attempt on the Women’s UCI Hour Record at Revolution on February 28th at the Lee Valley VeloPark in London. It should be a great occasion."

Storey’s record attempt will take place during the Saturday afternoon session and tickets can be bought through www.cyclingrevolution.com or by calling See Tickets on 0844 412 4650.

Dowsett’s attempt, assuming it is confirmed on Friday, is expected to be made at the same meeting.