Fabian Cancellara’s announcement that he would target the hour record brought the attempt back into the limelight.

Chris Boardman backed Cancellara’s announcement, but was keen for the original sentiment behind the record to be retained – that is, for it to be tackled on a standard bike setup.

Talking to RCUK, the British legend explained the precedent he had hoped to have set when he recorded the 2000 record, and while Cancellara’s plans to make an attempt remained in their infancy, the Swiss rider seemed keen to stick to a similar concept – albeit one benefiting from current technological advances.

The UCI’s decision to allow track bikes has, however, forced a rethink and Cancellara this week said: “The whole appeal of the hour record for me is that you are competing against riders from the past.

“I would have loved to race Eddy Merckx in the Classics, or in a time trial, but it’s not possible. The hour record has this charming side to it that I like a lot. Now it’s going to be different.

“I’m not against technological innovation, everyone knows that. It’s why I spend so much time testing road bikes with Trek. And it’s also why we’ve invested time and money in developing the best Merckx-style bike.

“We had some plans semi-ready but right now we need to think about the whole project again. We will discuss everything within the team and with Trek.”