Former world champion to attempt Para-Cycling Hour Record on Saturday

A two-time para-cycling world champion will try to break an Hour Record that has stood since 1999 on Saturday (October 10) at Manchester Velodrome.

Colin Lynch, a below-knee amputee, is aiming to better Frenchman Laurent Thirionet’s distance of 41.031km in the C2 category.

Lynch was the C2 road time trial world champion in 2011 and the individual pursuit world champion in 2012. He was denied a bronze medal at the London 2012 Paralympics by a tenth of a second from Thirionet in the C2 individual pursuit.

>>> The Hour Record: An interactive timeline

“My target is 43km,” he told Cycling Weekly. “I have been training at 44km/h for 20 minutes in training but I’d be kidding myself if I thought I could sustain that for an hour. It’s an exercise in restraint.”

Lynch is going for the record at this time of year to coincide with his preparation for the Rio Paralympic Games.

How to beat long time trials

“I planned it for this time of year as a way of starting my winter’s training. I want to go into winter stronger than ever,” he added.

“Every year you need to start to train earlier and earlier to get good results. Next year I want to be in absolutely perfect condition.”

The Para-T rider begins his attempt at 2pm, during the final day of the UCI World Track Championships for Masters. Tickets are £8 on the door. www.cyclingmasters.com