'My hour record will stand for 20 years'

Bradley Wiggins will attempt to put the hour record "out of reach" when he hits the boards at the London's Olympic velodrome on June 7.

Wiggins has targeted 55 kilometres for the unusual cycling contest challenge, where an individual cyclist attempts to ride as far as they can in one hour around a velodrome.

In fact, the 35-year-old four-time Olympic gold medallist and 2012 Tour de France champion reckons he could break Alex Dowsett's mark of 52.937km on Thursday.

"It sounds a bit horrible to say, but I think I could break the record tomorrow," Wiggins told the Times on Wednesday.

"But I don't just want to break it, I want to put it right up there, as far out of reach as I can."

The former Team Sky rider added: "I've got 55km in my head and I believe that's realistic.

"And I think if I do that it will stand for 20 years."

If Wiggins surpasses Great Britain track team-mate Dowsett's record, he will become the fifth rider to set a new mark since September 2014.

Jens Voigt, Matthias Brandle and Rohan Dennis all tasted success in the hour record before Dowsett's performance in Manchester on Saturday.

The hour record attempt next month will be an early step in Wiggins' campaign for a fifth Olympic gold medal in Rio de Janeiro next year.

"I don't see [the hour record] as being any harder than climbing the Ventoux to save fourth place in the Tour de France," he said.

"I can't see it being any harder than keeping concentration for three weeks to win the Tour, or riding around Hampton Court with the weight of expectation to win Olympic gold. I've been in a lot of pressure situations, I know what I can do."

The Belgium-born cyclist left Sky after last month's Paris-Roubaix to join his own outfit Team Wiggins, which includes his likely team-mates for the team pursuit at Rio 2016.