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The individual pursuit may have been pulled from the Olympic Games but the competition over four kilometres has now hit something of a golden phase as the times get faster and faster.
Jack Bobridge (Australia) tops Cycling Weekly's table of the fastest ever pursuit times after beating Chris Boardman's record set using the the Superman position that is now outlawed under the Union Cycliste International (UCI) Technical Regulations for the Bicycle.
Fellow Australian Rohan Dennis and Brits Geraint Thomas and double Olympic pursuit champion Bradley Wiggins just behind him.
American Taylor Phinney is another tenth of a second further back and completes the quartet of talented pursuit riders still competing today. Unfortunately, due to the UCI's decision to pull the individual pursuit from the Olympic Games, we may never see these four riders compete against each other.
FASTEST 4,000M INDIVIDUAL PURSUIT TIMES
4-10.534 World record
Jack Bobridge (Australia)
Sydney, Australian National Track Championships 2011
4-11.114*
Chris Boardman (Great Britain)
Manchester, World Championships final 1996
4-13.353*
Chris Boardman (Great Britain)
Manchester, World Championships 1996
4-13.399
Rohan Dennis (Australia)
Sydney, Australian National Track Championships 2011
4-14-427
Jack Bobridge (Australia)
Adelaide, Australian National Track Championships qualifying 2010
4-14.845
Jack Bobridge (Australia) Commonwealth Games record
Delhi, Commonwealth Games qualifying, Oct 5, 2010
4-15.015
Geraint Thomas (Great Britain)
Manchester, World Cup, October 2009
4-15.031
Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain)
Beijing, Olympic Games qualifying, August 2008
4-15.160
Taylor Phinney (USA)
Pruszkow, Poland, World Championships, March 2009
4-15.165
Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain)
Athens, Olympic Games qualifying, August 2004
4-15.223
Taylor Phinney (USA)
Copenhagen, World Cup, February 2009
* Set using the Superman position, which has been banned
Related links
Thomas sets third-fastest pursuit of all time (30 October 2009)
CW's Dummies Guide to Track Racing
Reader comments
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eyes raised
February 02 12:18
This is an honest question - is there any suspicion attached to this?
Dodg
February 02 13:33
Its even better, Rohan Dennis, clocked 4:15.764 in qual as well.. Only 19 years old. Final Bobridge gold in 4.16 Dennis Silver
Mike
February 03 12:01
There is a degree on unnecessary partisanship behind the BBC's reporting of this feat. Firstly, Boardman's comments seem to have belittled what has been an incredible performance by suggesting that now the event is not on the Olympic program and so the GB squad no longer enter such events that the event is somehow less competitive. Whilst the depth of the competitors might have dropped, this says nothing the absolute nature of superlative performances. I do not recall such statements during the coverage of Chris Hoy's attempt on the kilo record after the event was dropped from the program. 2ndly, by suggesting the Wiggins and Thomas no longer focus on this event, he is allowing the inference that they would have had the record themselves. There is nothing to suggest this. Wiggo had been posting 4:15s for 4 years from 2004 to 2008 without much progression. Its a huge ask to then drop 4+ seconds in the next 4 years. WRT Thomas, who knows what he is capable of doing. Nevertheless, just because there are people not competing ought not reduce the magnitude of Bobridge's performance. By being in an evidently less aerodynamic position to Boardman (when he set the record) he is clearly outputting a significantly greater wattage over the 4 minutes. The guy is 21 yoa. How much more output will we see from him once he matures? Perhaps with fellows like Bobridge, Thomas and Phinney we will see the UCI rethink the continual stripping of events from the track program and begin to reintroduce events like the 4k IP. They should think about the kilo, points and madison while they are at it.... We should all just doff our caps to the young lad and all join in a chorus of "Chapeau!!"