Graeme Obree is one of the most unique cyclists. He has had a colorful cycling history that includes breaking the prestigious world hour record twice. Obree made his first attempt at it in Norway in 1993. At the time he was relatively unknown outside Britain and few gave him a realistic chance of breaking Francesco Moser’s world record of 51.151km which had stood since 1984.

On the first attempt, Obree missed and missed the mark by almost 1KM. However, Obree was determined to try again the next day. Most of the journalists left and Obree had to beg officials to let him try again. This time, to the surprise of many, he managed to set a new hour record of 51,596 km. This record would later be surpassed by Chris Boardman just a week later. However, Obree broke the record for the second time in April 1994.

Graeme Obree is also famous for building innovative bicycle designs using various spare parts. After his first one-hour world record, there was a lot of media interest in his homemade bike. Obree’s bike was apparently made from parts from an old BMX and parts from a washing machine. I think some of this was exaggerated, however Obree was definitely an innovator and continues to build his own bikes. For a time Obree was feted by the European press who were intrigued by this eccentric Scotsman who had built his own bike. Perhaps this unfairly overshadowed his athletic ability and his great determination. For the first record of him, he used a position known as the tuck position, which has also been referred to as the “Obree” position.

This position was later banned by the UCI, but Graeme Obree went on to develop another position, popularly called the Superman Position.

After his record-breaking attempt, Obree became World Pursuit Champion in 1993. He beat Chris Boardman in the semi-final (also setting a new world record). In the final, he beat Frenchman Phillipe Ermanault. Becoming World Champion was in many ways unexpected for Obree, but it allowed him to attract many lucrative offers to travel across Europe competing in prestigious time trials and track meetings. Graham was the victim of an unfortunate experience at the 1994 World Championships. Obree was the defending champion and had modified his bike to fit the new rules. However, on the night of the Championships, the UCI passed a new law effectively banning the unique tuck position of him. The rule was so new it hadn’t even been written down. Obree had no chance to get used to a new layout and was therefore disqualified after his first qualifying attempt. Obree briefly signed a contract with a professional team based in France. However, unfortunately this didn’t work. Obree said that he was never comfortable in the setting and he was also not willing to pay the costs of “add-on drugs” (this was in the Pre Festina days). It was after this time that Obree began to suffer more and more from depression.

Obree’s fascinating life has recently been made into a feature film.

Obree’s autobiography is a compelling account of his experiences as a cyclist and his private battle with issues of depression and low self-esteem. The main theme of his book is his desire to prove himself by winning. If he lost a race he would feel terrible. The book is written with great honesty and is a fascinating insight into the mind of a great athlete.

See: Graeme Obree’s Bicycles