You already know that Jens Voigt, everyone’s favourite cycling hardman, is having a crack at the Hour record before finally hanging up his wheels, and here’s the Trek Speed Concept bike he’ll be doing it on.
The German rider who turns 43 the day before his 18 September attempt at Vélodrome Suisse in Grenchen, Switzerland, will ride a version of the Speed Concept that has been modified for the track.
The bike has no brakes, obviously, and the rear dropouts have been modified. They’re rear facing so the chain tension for the fixed gear can be set, and they can take a 120mm width track hub.
With no need to install gear shifters or brake levers, the ends of the bars have been fitted with bullet plugs.
It looks like Jens is going for disc wheels front and rear. Although these ones feature the Bontrager logo, the Trek sub-brand doesn’t make disc wheels so we suspect these are rebadged wheels from another manufacturer with the addition of Hour Record graphics. Shimano provide the drivetrain.
The paintjob has been designed especially for the record attempt. Along the top tube it says, “Jens Voigt can beat the 1 hour record in under 60 minutes.”
It also says, “I am mother f*cking Jens Voigt”.
Running up the down tube are the words, “Jens Voigt doesn’t normally ride in velodromes, because he doesn’t like to lap himself.”
So, 18 September: it’s Jens against the clock. We feel sorry for the clock.
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31 comments
Is it me or do those wheels have 72 seconds on them?
At least he's revitalising the event......so that Wiggo,Spartacus and Panzerwagon can destroy it later on!!
All I know is Merckx didn't need that childish nonsense, Ritter didn't need that childish nonsense, and the list if true hard men goes on…... He may be a good cyclist, but DON'T call him a Hard Man.
Jens Voigt is a Hard Man.
Jens Voigt is a Hard Man.
Jens Voigt is a Hard Man.
Jens Voigt is a Hard Man.
There are some joyless, humourless, people on this thread.
Merckx was renownedly "shy". Maybe Jens isn't?
You do know that professional sport is actually entertainment don't you?
I take it from that, that you are utterly unaware of the mans career.
Wow, a concept bike, it has bullet plugs in the bar ends, and rear facing (read normal) rear lugs.... I must go and get one of those for Reading track League, the guys will be mightily impressed...
Whatever will they think of next.... perhaps they'll make it conform to the UCI regs on hour bike record attempts..... just like every other bike used in an attempt and the regs that were in place at the time....
Jens has six children so technically he...
I'd be amazed if Jens had anything to do with it. He doesn't come across as the kind of gentleman who would big himself up like a gangster rapper.
I'll save hitting the 'big red outrage button' for something a little more outrageous.
Obviously never seen the interview where the quote comes from then?
Jens said it himself after a stage of ToC
Obviously never seen the interview where the quote comes from then?
Jens said it himself after a stage of ToC[/quote]
Nope, not seen it. Was it tongue in cheek?
I agree that some of these seem a little like they tried to be funny but didn't quite hit the mark, at least not to the same extent as some of the more classic facts.
I think the 'Jens against the clock, we feel sorry for the clock' would have been a better one to have on there.
I would think that the chance of any writing on a bike that is press-releases like this getting past the marketing dept at Trek are about nil, therefore Trek must have approved the words.
I don't object to the puerile (who cares really) but did anyone else scratch their head at “Jens Voigt can beat the 1 hour record in under 60 minutes.” What does that mean exactly? That Jens can make an hour LESS than sixty minutes? I thought an hour was 6o minutes... something lost in translation?
I think the original 'fact' (applied to Chuck Norris on other sites) says something like 'Jens can ride the hour in 57 minutes' - just silly stuff similar to the one about lapping himself, but I agree that this version kind of loses something.
It's pretty obvious what it means!!!??
The current distance (distance covered within one hour = hour record)...
Jens will beat that distance. ie cycle at least the current recorded distance in less than one hour...its not a time record....it's not rocket science
And if it takes him more than an hour to ride the current distance record - he won't have beaten it.
Every previous record holder has beaten it in less than an hour
Oops am I being pedantic
How pathetic, a grown man with stupid little comments on his bike, the sort of thing a child would write on his school books in the second year of high school thinking he was clever. He has gone down considerably in my opinion now.
When this grown man is battering himself for 60 minutes, subjecting himself to huge amounts of agony to better a record, I think he is allowed whatever motivation he wants. It may be considered purile in another setting, but is excusable, even understandable, in this one.
Ever heard of publicity? Promotion?
Remember this stuff from Muhammed Ali
“I'm the greatest, I'm a bad man, and I'm pretty!”
“I'm not the greatest; I'm the double greatest. Not only do I knock 'em out, I pick the round.”
“I'm so fast that last night I turned off the light switch in my hotel room and was in bed before the room was dark.”
“If you even dream of beating me you'd better wake up and apologize.”
"My only fault is that I don't realize how great I really am."
and then.............
“The outgoing and spontaneous person that the world knew while I was boxing was a persona that I created to sell tickets and promote my career. In my private life, I am quiet and reflective by nature.”
— Muhammad Ali – The Soul of a Butterfly
Have you never seen or read an interview with Jens?
He uses some of those little mantra's to fire himself up in the breakaway attempts he has.
He's also got a renowned reputation for going on these attacks, making life hard for the peloton etc. hence some of the 'stupid little comments' as you call them.
Inappropriate and pathetically immature.
...but also kiiiinda funny. Seems you left your sense of humour by the side of the road when you had a puncture or something.
Sad that you are so jealous of the most popular pro cyclist of the current era. With all of the bad press about cycling, Jens is one of the bright stars that everyone should feel good about. Maybe you are wearing your bibs a bit too small, but try not to take yourself so seriously.
I don't see how you make this post out to be based on jealousy but I am surprised that Trek are happy about this, hardly likely to endear them to the women's market is it!
Yeah...we're too delicate for anything so sweary, we'll go sit back on our pink bikes instead and ride through some meadows and look at some flowers instead. Or something.
On 18th September Jens Voigt's sonic boom will be so loud it will rip Scotland clean off the UK.
I predict he'll turn up only to be told he needs to complete the elaborate 4 stage accreditation process.
Now shown in the British Eurosport TV guide at 5:30 Go Jens
*yawns*
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