One of the best riders in the country, perhaps with only Ryan Mullen better; Marcus Christie plans to try to break the hour record held by Bradley Wiggins.
Well known in Irish racing circles and a former member of the An Post-Chainreaction team, Marcus Christie plans to try to break the world hour record.
Bradley Wiggins set the hour record in London in June, 2015, with a marker of 54.526km.
While the record is a really impressive one, some in cycling have pointed out it was broken at sea level, with high air pressure.
Going for the record at altitude and on a track proven to aid fast times would give another rider an advantage.
They would, of course, still need to ride out of their skin to take the record.
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But Christie said today he wants to give it a go. And he will set about preparing in the US immediately after Christmas.
He has enlisted the help of international track coach Andy Sparks; an American who was previously part of the Cycling Ireland coaching set-up.
Riders coached by Sparks have won 15 world track titles and five medals at Olympic Games. Heiko Salzwedel has also agreed to help Christie.
A former British Cycling coach, Salzwedel was regarded as the man behind Team GB’s male team pursuit gold medal at the Rio Olympics.
And he was also credited by Wiggins with being instrumental in his record-breaking hour record ride the previous year.
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Marcus Christie riding the Commonwealth Games for Northern Ireland and the Worlds for Ireland.
“From the moment I approached these two legends they were on board,” said Marcus Christie today announcing his intentions.
“And that really is the key; having people who believe in you, especially when nobody else does.”
Christie cited the success of both coaches already, adding Sparks had helped Martyn Irvine win his world title back in 2013 in Minsk.
“Andy and I go way back to my days at the UCI centre in Switzerland. He’s a coach who has always got the best out of me and all the other athletes he coaches,” said Christie.
“He has churned out world champ after world champ and I’m certain he’s the man to get the best out of me on this journey.
“Heiko is like the godfather in cycling. There’s nothing he hasn’t achieved and he has coached many of the greats in the sport.
“And I’m eternally grateful to have him in my corner this time around. Heiko knows of my potential, having tested me at British Cycling in 2016.
“It’s safe to say I’ve attracted the two best coaches in world cycling. The A-Team has been assembled.
"And I’m super excited to get started. Going up against Wiggins' record is what dreams are made of.
“The plan of attack is Colorado at the start of January to begin my preparations under the watchful eye of Andy.
“I’m currently looking for sponsors to be a part of this amazing one-year project," he added of what will be an expensive undertaking.
"I will be pushing this a lot more in the coming weeks and months. So stay tuned for a real life Rocky story.”
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