Jaguar has hand in Wiggins' One Hour Record
FROM David Beckham to James Bond, Jaguar enjoys its associations with the best of British, so it was no surprise to see the luxury sporting brand's badge on Sir Bradley Wiggins' UCI Hour Record bike.
Wiggins, the 2012 Tour de France champion and multiple Olympic gold medallist, smashed the iconic record for distance travelled on a bike in one hour, covering 54.526km at the Lee Valley VeloPark in London.
Sir Brad rode a bespoke Jaguar Pinarello Bolide HR track bike, co-engineered by the British car company and Italian bike manufacturer, and hailed it as "the most aerodynamic track bike I've ever ridden."
Jaguar's Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) design methods - used to develop its new XE sedan - were applied to the Bolide HR to give an overall aerodynamic performance increase of 7.5%, largely down to a new one-piece titanium handlebar, narrow fork and chainstay design.
In lay terms that means it can slip through the air like no track bike seen before, with aero-harming brakes and gears removed and an innovative arm rest created to reduce air pressure and drag.
Jaguar has partnered Wiggins' former cycling team Team Sky since 2009, and its elegant XF Sportbrake wagons serve as team cars on events like the Tour de France.
Present at the London velodrome for the hour record was a Team Wiggins Jaguar F-Type, proudly displaying the new record distance on its number plates.
