Cycling-Wiggins to have a go at Hour record next year

PARIS, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Bradley Wiggins will be the first time trial specialist to have a go at the hour record under new regulations, the Briton said on Wednesday. "I want to have a go at the one hour record next year after what Jens (Voigt) did last week," the 2012 Tour de France champion told the BBC. "I was a bit surprised by Jens's decision to do it but what he did was fantastic and fully deserved. I could just go and do it next week but, if I do it, I'll only do it once." Last week, German Voigt beat the previous mark set by Czech Ondrej Sosenka in 2005 as the first rider to make an attempt under new rules set by the International Cycling Union (UCI). Voigt's record of 51.115 km followed a revision by the UCI of the rules, introduced in 2000, governing equipment used in the celebrated competition. The UCI said in May the record could be beaten on a bike that complies with current rules for machines used in endurance track events. Voigt joined a prestigious list of record holders for the event ranging from the first officially established in 1893 by Henri Desgrange to Fausto Coppi, Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx and Francesco Moser. PROPER PREPARATION A time trial and track cycling specialist, Wiggins is however highly likely to smash that mark when he takes to the track in June 2015. "I want to prepare for it properly," said Wiggins, the time trial Olympic champion. "It will give me something to get out of bed for in the winter." Other time trial greats Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland and German Tony Martin could spice up the event if they joined the competition. Cancellara, a four-time time trial world champion, put his plans to attempt to break the record on hold after the rules changed. "The hour record has this charming side to it that I like a lot. Now it's going to be different," he said in May. The previous regulations stated that riders had to use a bike resembling that of Merckx when he set his mark of 49.431km in 1972. Martin, who won the last three editions of the individual time trial at the worlds and is the hot favourite for Wednesday's event in Ponferrada, Spain, said earlier this year he was open to the possibility of trying to break the record. (Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Ken Ferris)