Image 1 of 65 Bradley Wiggins celebrates breaking the UCI Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome in London. Image 2 of 65 Team Wiggins F-type is seen with Sir Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain and Team Wiggins' world record on the number plate after he broke the UCI One Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome Image 3 of 65 Bradley Wiggins recovers after breaking the UCI One Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome Image 4 of 65 Bradley Wiggins on his way to breaking the UCI One Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome. Image 5 of 65 Bradley Wiggins on his way to breaking the UCI One Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome. Image 6 of 65 Bradley Wiggins on his way to breaking the UCI One Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome. Image 7 of 65 Bradley Wiggins on his way to breaking the UCI One Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome. Image 8 of 65 Bradley Wiggins on his way to breaking the UCI One Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome. Image 9 of 65 Bradley Wiggins on his way to breaking the UCI One Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome. Image 10 of 65 Bradley Wiggins on his way to breaking the UCI One Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome. Image 11 of 65 Bradley Wiggins on his way to breaking the UCI One Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome. Image 12 of 65 Bradley Wiggins during his successful UCI Hour Record ride. Image 13 of 65 Bradley Wiggins is a blur during his UCI Hour Record ride. Image 14 of 65 Bradley Wiggins in action on his way to setting a new UCI Hour Record Image 15 of 65 Bradley Wiggins in action during his UCI Hour Record ride. Image 16 of 65 Wiggins' coach tells him to ease back just a bit during his Hour Record attempt. Image 17 of 65 Bradley Wiggins on his way to breaking the UCI One Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome. Image 18 of 65 Bradley Wiggins on his way to breaking the UCI One Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome. Image 19 of 65 Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain and Team Wiggins leaves the track after breaking the UCI One Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome Image 20 of 65 Coach Heiko Salzwedel holds information as Sir Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain and Team Wiggins tries to break the UCI One Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome. Image 21 of 65 Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain and Team Wiggins is congratulated by coach Heiko Salzwedel after breaking the UCI One Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome. Image 22 of 65 Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain and Team Wiggins is congratulated by coach Heiko Salzwedel after breaking the UCI One Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome. Image 23 of 65 Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain and Team Wiggins celebrates after breaking the UCI One Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome. Image 24 of 65 Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain and Team Wiggins celebrates after the UCI One Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome. Image 25 of 65 Supporters cheer on Sir Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain and Team Wiggins as he tries to break the UCI One Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome. Image 26 of 65 Supporters cheer on Sir Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain and Team Wiggins as he tries to break the UCI One Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome. Image 27 of 65 Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain and Team Wiggins celebrates after the UCI One Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome Image 28 of 65 Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain and Team Wiggins celebrates after the UCI One Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome Image 29 of 65 Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain and Team Wiggins celebrates after the UCI One Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome. Image 30 of 65 Supporters cheer on Sir Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain and Team Wiggins as he tries to break the UCI One Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome. Image 31 of 65 Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain and Team Wiggins celebrates after the UCI One Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome Image 32 of 65 Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain and Team Wiggins celebrates after the UCI One Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome. Image 33 of 65 Miguel Indurain congratulates Wiggins on joining the exclusive club of riders who have won the Tour de France and held the UCI Hour Record. Image 34 of 65 Coach Heiko Salzwedel keeps an eye on Bradley Wiggins during his new UCI Hour Record Image 35 of 65 Bradley Wiggins on the track in London for the Hour Record. Image 36 of 65 Bradley Wiggins on his way to setting a new UCI Hour Record. Image 37 of 65 Fans outside the velodrome inspect the Wiggins team car. Image 38 of 65 Fans outside the velodrome inspect the Wiggins team car. Image 39 of 65 Checking out Miguel Indurain.s 1994 Hour Record bike Image 40 of 65 Fans enter the Lee Valley VeloPark for Wiggins' Hour Record attempt. Image 41 of 65 London's Lee Valley VeloPark. Image 42 of 65 Bradley Wiggins after breaking Alex Dowsett's UCI Hour Record. Image 43 of 65 Bradley Wiggins celebrates breaking the UCI Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome in London. Image 44 of 65 Bradley Wiggins celebrates breaking the UCI Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome in London. Image 45 of 65 Bradley Wiggins celebrates breaking the UCI Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome in London. Image 46 of 65 Bradley Wiggins celebrates breaking the UCI Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome in London. Image 47 of 65 Wiggins' mark of 54.526 is the new gold standard for the UCI Hour Record. Image 48 of 65 David Millar was on hand for Wiggins' record attempt. Image 49 of 65 Bradley Wiggins on the track in London. Image 50 of 65 Bradley Wiggins set a new UCI Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome Image 51 of 65 Bradley Wiggins in action on his way to setting a new UCI Hour Record Image 52 of 65 Bradley Wiggins during his successful UCI Hour Record ride. Image 53 of 65 A crowd packed the Lee Valley VeloPark Velodrome for Wiggin's UCI Hour Record attempt. Image 54 of 65 Bradley Wiggins on his way to riding 54.256 km during his Hour Record attempt. Image 55 of 65 Bradley Wiggins on his way to riding 54.256 km during his Hour Record attempt. Image 56 of 65 Bradley Wiggins on his way to riding 54.256 km during his Hour Record attempt. Image 57 of 65 Bradley Wiggins relaxes after breaking the UCI Hour Record. Image 58 of 65 Bradley Wiggins relaxes after breaking the UCI Hour Record. Image 59 of 65 Bradley Wiggins relaxes after breaking the UCI Hour Record. Image 60 of 65 Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain and Team Wiggins celebrates with his family after breaking the UCI Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome Image 61 of 65 Bradley Wiggins celebrates with his family after breaking the UCI Hour Record. Image 62 of 65 Wiggins comes in after breaking the UCI Hour Record. Image 63 of 65 Bradley Wiggins ahead of his UCI Hour Record attempt. Image 64 of 65 Bradley Wiggins celebrates breaking the UCI Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome in London. Image 65 of 65 Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain trains at the Lee Valley Velopark ahead of his UCI Hour Record attempt on June 7.

Bradley Wiggins set the new standard for the UCI Hour Record on Sunday, riding 54.526 kilometres on the Lee Valley Velodrome in London to beat the previous record of 52.937 set by Alex Dowsett in May.

Although Wiggins was unable to beat the record of Chris Boardman's 'Superman' effort from the mid-1990s, he established a distance that may well deter a number of potential rivals in the near future.

With conditions far from ideal – the air pressure was far higher than expected – Wiggins still managed to execute a strategy based around discipline as much as aerodynamics and pure speed.

"I'm glad it's done," he said. "That's the closest I will come to knowing what it's like to have a baby.

"It's tortuous. It's such a relief and was such a build-up. We've been through so much, my wife and children know so much about air pressure now."

Wiggins started out like a train, quickly settling into his race pace. At the 30 lap mark he had established a 20 second lead over Dowsett, settling the nerves of the crowd, a sell-out audience that included Wiggins' childhood hero Miguel Indurain as well as Johan Bruyneel, David Millar and former UCI President Pat McQuaid.

After 10 kilometres Wiggins' fast start began to slow, but only marginally, and he was still able to distance Dowsett's marker, rattling up a 28 second buffer, the equivalent of nearly two laps, as he churned along on his 58x14 gear ratio.

With a metronomic pace, Wiggins extended the lead to 38, 48, and then 58 seconds, and at the 20 kilometre point the Olympic time trial champion had put close to 750 meters between him and Dowsett, a pace that would establish a new record well over 54km – shy of an eye-popping 55 kilometres – but given the high air, a remarkable feat all the same.

The lead pushed out to an advantage of 1,250 meters after 35 kilometres as he averaged more than 54.5 kph. Wiggins struggled over the final 10 minutes, however, as his pace slipped slightly, with his speed dipping to just above 54 kph. Wiggins picked up his pace again in the final minutes as he struggled to complete the challenge, knowing he had already topped Dowsett but hoping to establish a mark that could withstand future assaults.

In the end, Wiggins sailed across the line and into the arms of coach Heiko Salzwedel, eventually acknowledging the roaring crowd's approval by walking to mid-track and hoisting his record-breaking machine over his head in celebration. Trackside stood Indurain, and Wiggins' former team boss Dave Brailsford. The Spaniard offered a thumb's up in approval, aware that Wiggins had joined an elite club of Tour de France winners and Hour Record Holders that includes Indurain and Eddy Merckx.

"It tops it off. To do everything and come here as an old man, I had such great memories here as a kid and to come here... It's memorable.

"It's done now. I always compare myself to the greats and I am just glad to be in the company of those guys. To get up there and do that... to put yourself on the line takes a lot of courage and it's a mental game as much as anything."

The new UCI Hour Record announced on the big screen at the velodrome