American Cyclist Ashton Lambie Breaks Cycling's '4 Minute Mile' Barrier With a New World Record

AGUASCALIENTES, Mexico, August 23, 2021 (Newswire.com) - The individual pursuit has been an official World Championships event for over 50 years, with the first world record of 4:52 set in 1964. Lambie, a decorated American track cyclist, set an unofficial record of 3:59.930 at the Aguascalientes velodrome in Mexico on Wednesday (August 18), nearly two seconds faster than the previous official world record held by Filippo Ganna of Italy. 

"Honestly, the effort was absolutely brutal. My partner, Dr. Christina Birch, helped lift me off the bike when I was done. My legs just didn't want to work anymore!"

Previously thought to be physiologically impossible, the four-minute barrier has been likened to the four-minute mile, broken by Roger Bannister in 1954. The individual pursuit record had stood at 4:10.534 since 2011, before Lambie broke it at the Pan-American Championships on the same track in 2018. It's been tumbling ever since, with six new world records in the past three years. 

Although not currently an Olympic event, the individual pursuit is a prestigious World Championships event, sanctioned by the Union Cycliste International (UCI) cycling's main governing body. 

"I just can't believe it's finally a reality. To have been training for this event since last year, and to have so much support from everyone, it really feels special. I can't even begin to thank everyone in the sub-4 project who made this possible. It's such a huge barrier, and it still feels crazy that it's possible!"

Source: Ashton Lambie