How long does an hour last? It can fly by or seem never-ending, with all the nuances in between. It's easy to imagine that today Charlie Tanfield felt more on the "never-ending" side, as his attempt to challenge Filippo Ganna's hour record failed. The twenty-eight-year-old British track cyclist, multiple world and Olympic champion in pursuit disciplines, completed his attempt but never came close to Ganna's extraordinary 56.792 km record set in 2022. Tanfield covered "only" 53.964 km, ending up behind not just Ganna but also Bigham, Campenaerts, and his idol Wiggins.

During his attempt, Tanfield never approached the 55 km/h average, reaching 54.868 km/h at the 35 km mark before starting to decline. In time terms, Tanfield finished 2 minutes and 55 seconds behind Ganna. The attempt took place at the brand new Konya velodrome, located 1,200 meters above sea level, which will host the European championships next February.

DELAY. From the first lap, Ganna - who isn't known for explosive starts due to his build - performed better: after 250 meters, Tanfield was already 1.168 seconds behind. He continued losing ground: 4.2 seconds after 20 laps, 6.3 seconds after 40 laps, 11.665 after 60 laps, 23.678 after 100 laps, crossing the one-minute delay mark at lap 152 (km 38) and the two-minute mark at lap 186 (km 46.5).

PREPARATION. High-altitude training in Andorra and specific heat preparation - training at an incredible 45-degree temperature in a tent in his garden to adapt to extreme conditions - did not yield the hoped-for results. Tanfield has a second attempt scheduled for tomorrow morning, and in the coming hours, we'll know if he'll decide to try again, especially considering he clearly slowed down in the last quarter-hour today, or if he'll choose to end his challenge to Ganna, at least for now.