Voigt's hour record on the line

Aigle - Austrian rider Matthias Brandle will attempt to break cycling's historic hour record next week and eclipse Jens Voigt's mark of 51.1km.

Ending his career with a record attempt one day after his 43rd birthday, Voigt achieved the feat on September 18 in the Grenchen velodrome in Switzerland. The German beat the 2005 mark of 49.7km by Czech cyclist Ondrej Sosenka.

The hour record was previously held by cycling greats Fausto Coppi, Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx.

Brandle, the Austrian time trial champion, will attempt the record feat next Thursday at the velodrome of cycling governing body UCI in Aigle, Switzerland.

Brandle says, "I have decided to try my luck because I have been impressed by Jens Voigt since I was a young child."