Unless you were completely out of all radio, television and internet contact, you can’t fail to have heard that BMC’s Rohan Dennis set a new hour record at the Velodrome Suisse in Grenchen on Sunday – 52.491 kilometres to be exact.

As someone who has a personal hour record of –  well let’s just say it’s a lot, lot  less – I am completely in awe of both the feat itself and the people who attempt it. So what qualities does it require to beat the hour record? Strength, focus, ability, courage, sheer bloody mindedness? Of course it’s a combination of all of these. However as this excellent Ride Media interview with the man himself points out, all sorts of stimuli come into play when you’re in the zone.

I remember about 40 minutes in, all I was wanting – what went through my head is: ‘I need a drink. I wish I had a drink bottle on my bike right now.’ And also, ‘I wish they weren’t cooking sausage in the middle [of the track] – because I can smell it and the coffee as well.

Have to admit the delicious aroma of coffee and sausages would probably have me off the bike and sat at the table. I’d be useless at the beating the hour.

If by chance you did miss it,  you can see the whole sixty minutes here…