Jens Voigt
Jens Voigt is the most affable and at times the most aggressive (in a purely racing sense).A fans favourite for many reasons, his quotes, his personality, his never say die spirit, his longevity and the fact that he is a great bike rider.
There are many great Voigt tales and when Voigt writes his final autobiography, (hopefully a more insightful one than the one he wrote in German in 2008) it will be well worth the read.
But after 17 years in the professional peloton, Voigt is making his last stand, fittingly it is alone and out in front.
Today, Jens takes on the Hour Record, the record has stood for 9 years, since Ondrej Sosenka recorded a distance of 49.7km in 2005.
For the uninitiated, the Hour record is a test of how far a rider can ride in one hour on a track. It is not for the faint of heart, it requires endurance of both the physical and mental variety. The current record was recorded at an average of over 31 mph!
Over the years the rules have changed somewhat, in the mid 90s Chris Boardman and Graeme Obree both broke the record on futuristic bikes.
If Boardman's was a triumph of engineering, Obree's was a master of ingenuity, using old washing machine parts and changing the style of bike riding to enable faster speeds.
However Jens Voigt's attempt will hopefully mark a watershed moment in the Hour record. Previously, the UCI had said the record must be attempted on a normal road bike, this has now changed, and if Voigt does, as many hope, break the record tonight, it could pave the way for Cancellara, Wiggins and maybe even Tony Martin to try and break it.
It would be unlike Jens to go quietly, and I sincerely hope he breaks the record tonight, and does it screaming his inimitable phrase 'shut up legs' just one last time.
To watch Jen's attempt at the hour live, go to http://www.trekbikes.com/hour_record/.
I hope to be able to add some more Jens stories once the hour is completed, the man is a legend.
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