Fastest individual pursuit times in history

The individual pursuit was the blue ribbon event of track cycling prior to the UCI dropping it from the Olympic program for the 2012 Olympics. In the 1990's Graeme Obree and Chris Boardman took the event to another level, and after a recent hiatus, riders are once again going faster and faster. Here's a list of the fastest times in the history of the men's event.

The individual pursuit may have been pulled from the Olympic Games but the track cycling competition over four kilometres is still contested at the UCI Track World Championships, National Championships, selected World Cup rounds and other international and national competitions.

And it's getting faster and faster with almost every competition.

The new name on top of the leaderboard is Italian Filippo Ganna who twice broke the world record at the Minsk track world cup at the end of 2019. The three time world champion and Team Ineos rider is now just over two seconds away from breaking the four minute barrier.

Many of the gains have come from an increasingly sophisticated understanding of aerodynamics. What was once the preserve of the well funded nations, is now available for all nations competing at this level.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJVYeVVfX8I

Fastest 4000-metre individual pursuit times

4-02.647 WORLD RECORD

Filippo Ganna (ITA)

Minsk, Belarus. UCI track World Cup Nov, 2019 (Final)

4-04.252

Filippo Ganna (ITA)

Minsk, Belarus. UCI track World Cup Nov, 2019

4-07.251

Ashton Lambie (USA)

Aguascalientes, Mexico, Pan American Championships 2018

4-07.456

Filippo Ganna (ITA)

Pruszkow, Poland. 2019 UCI track cycling world championships

4-09.091

Domenic Weinstein (GER)

Pruszkow, Poland. 2019 UCI track cycling world championships

4-09.584

John Archibald (HUUB Wattbike)

Manchester, UK. British track national championships 2019

4-09.843

John Archibald (HUUB Wattbike)

Minsk, Belarus. UCI track World Cup Nov, 2019

4-10.177

John Archibald (HUUB Wattbike)

Grenchen, Switzerland, UCI international competition 2018

4-10.391

Stefan Bissegger (GER)

Minsk, Belarus. UCI track World Cup Nov, 2019

4-10.534

Jack Bobridge (Australia)

Sydney, Australian National Track Championships 2011

4-11.114*

Chris Boardman (Great Britain)

Manchester, World Championships final 1996

4-11.455

Charlie Tanfield (England)

Brisbane, Commonwealth Games 2018

4-11.764

Davide Plebani (ITA)

Pruszkow, Poland. 2019 UCI track cycling world championships

4-11.957

Alexander Evtushenko (RUS)

Pruszkow, Poland. 2019 UCI track cycling world championships

4-12.172

Jordan Kerby (Australia)

Hong Kong, China, World Championships, April 2017

4-12.253

Charlie Tanfield (Great Britain)

Minsk, Belarus, World Cup, January 2018

4-12.365

Ivo Oliveira (Portugal)

Apeldoorn, Netherlands, World Championships 2018

4-12.886

Ashton Lambie (USA)

Pruszkow, Poland. 2019 UCI track cycling world championships

4-13.007

Edison Bravo (Chile)

Aguascalientes, Mexico, Pan-Am Championships, October 2016

4-13.068

John Archibald (Scotland)

Brisbane, Commonwealth Games 2018

4-13.353*

Chris Boardman (Great Britain)

Manchester, World Championships 1996

4-13.399

Rohan Dennis (Australia)

Sydney, Australian National Track Championships 2011

4-13.448

Charlie Tanfield (Great Britain)

Portugal, Trofeu Internacional de Anadia, December 2017

4-13.453

Domenic Weinstein (Germany)

German National Championships 2017

4-13.607

Filippo Ganna (Italy)

Apeldoorn, Netherlands, World Championships 2018

4-13.662

Filippo Ganna (Italy)

Apeldoorn, Netherlands, World Championships 2018

4-13.786

Alexander Evtushenko (Russia)

Apeldoorn, Netherlands, World Championships 2018

* Set using the Superman position, which has been banned

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Simon Richardson
Magazine editor

Editor of Cycling Weekly magazine, Simon has been working at the title since 2001. He fell in love with cycling 1989 when watching the Tour de France on Channel 4, started racing in 1995 and in 2000 he spent one season racing in Belgium. During his time at CW (and Cycle Sport magazine) he has written product reviews, fitness features, pro interviews, race coverage and news. He has covered the Tour de France more times than he can remember along with two Olympic Games and many other international and UK domestic races. He became the 130-year-old magazine's 13th editor in 2015.