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Cheshire cyclist sets Hour record - at 70 years of age

Mike Cotgreave rode more than 40km at velodrome in Newport to set age group best

The Hour record is back in vogue, with Sir Bradley Wiggins confirming earlier this week that he plans to try and beat the distance set by Jens Voigt last week – but a few days before the German’s storming ride, a grandfather from a cycling club in Stockport got his name into the record books, setting a new benchmark for the 70-74 age group.

Mike Cotgreave of Westmead Team 88 rode 41.227 kilometres at Newport Velodrome in Gwent on Sunday 14 September – a shade under 10 kilometres less than the 51.115 kilometres Voigt rode to establish his record.

That’s an impressive performance considering Cotgreave, aged 70, was ceding 27 years to the younger man – and that at 45 when he took up cycling, he was two years older than Voigt is now.

Pushing a gear of 53x15, Cotgreave rode 164.9 laps of the Welsh National Velodrome, bettering the previous record of 39.635km held by Frans Braat of the Netherlands by 1.592km.

To prepare for his attempt on the record, he spent eight months training five days a week under the supervision of Olympic, Commonwealth and World Championship medallist, Bryan Steel.

The rider was cheered on in his successful record attempt by friends and family including his grandchildren and his son Andy, who tweeted some photos, including these before and after shots.

 

Earlier this month, retired maths teacher Sidney Schuman from Hither Green, south east London, set the first Hour record for the 80-84 age group, racking up more than 28km at the Lee Valley Velodrome, used in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

In January, the French centenarian Robert Marchand bettered his existing Hour record for riders aged 100 and over – an age group the UCI created especially for him - by riding 26.925km, despite having passed his 102nd birthday.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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notfastenough | 10 years ago
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70-year-old rides at over 25 mph for 60 minutes. Makes me feel ancient, and I'm only 38! I wonder if he can go under the hour on a 25 as well - Westmead Team 88 run some of the local TTs. Bravo.

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CyclingLocations.com | 10 years ago
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Truly inspirational!

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thegibdog | 10 years ago
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