It is testament to Graeme Obree’s extraordinary personal fortitude that his indelible achievements on a bicycle are only a precursor to a greater triumph over severe depression that twice led him to try to take his own life.

The story of Obree’s two successful attempts on the world hour record, and of his two world pursuit championships, is inextricably intertwined with that of Chris Boardman, his chalk-and-cheese nemesis.

Boardman, ‘The Professor’, professionally backed and equipped with truly ground-breaking equipment, could not have provided a greater contrast to Obree, the most glorious of amateurs, who, competing on homemade machinery, sought in the hour record the ultimate prize of refuge from personal crisis.

Obree lost his first hour record to Boardman after less than a week, before regaining it 10 months later from Franceso Moser, who beat Boardman’s record by riding a bike similar to Obree’s in the high altitude of Mexico City.

Obree regained the record three months later in April 1994, this time holding it for five months until September and Miguel Indurain’s successful attempt.

Two individual pursuit world championships in 1993 and 1995 intensified his rivalry with Boardman, and won him a brief but ultimately unsuccessful attempt at joining the pro peloton.

Finest moment: Obree’s first world hour record came courtesy of a second attempt made just 24 hours after the first. Having ridden himself to exhaustion and defeat by nearly a kilometre the previous day, he returned to the track the following morning ‘a lion’ to break Moser’s record by 445 metres.