MEXICO: The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) recently announced that Italian cyclist Vittoria Bussi (BJ Bike Club ASD) has once again broken the UCI Hour Record, sponsored by Tissot.
The athlete rode 50.455 kilometres in just one hour at the Velodromo Bicentenario in Aguascalientes, Mexico. This record came a day after she had to stop her previous attempt halfway through.
She has now beaten her own record, which she set on Oct 13, 2023, by riding 50.267 kilometres at the same velodrome. With her impressive performances, she became the first woman to go beyond 50 kilometres in one hour. Moreover, she also held the record from September 2018 to September 2021, with a final distance of 48.007 kilometres.
With her achievement, Bussi expressed: “I can say with a smile that I contributed to the history of the UCI Hour Record for women. This record has always been really special to me as an athlete and as a person, and I hope I have transmitted to young generations and people that sport is not just an athletic performance but that athletes bring messages to the world.”
She added: “The Hour taught me that one of the most important things in life is to understand the preciousness of time in every single instant of our life.”
In a social media post shared by UCI Cycling, it said: “New UCI Hour Record presented by @tissot_official ⏱️ @vittoriabussi covered 50.455 km today at the Velodromo Bicentenario in Aguascalientes 🇲🇽, surpassing her own mark set on 13 October 2023 (50.267 km)! A phenomenal performance from the Italian rider who keeps pushing the limits of endurance! 👏”
Netizens commented on the post: “What an accomplishment!” and “Congratulations Vittoria.”
Bussi’s athletic career
Vittoria Bussi was a former middle-distance runner and mathematician. She only started running at the age of 27.
Throughout her career, she has earned several podium finishes in the individual time trial at the Italian National Championships. Moreover, Bussi helped Italy secure bronze in the mixed team time trial at the 2020 European Championships, and she also won the opening time trial at the Tour de Feminin stage race in 2021, which happened in the Czech Republic.
The athlete is now preparing for another world record in Aguascalientes, particularly in the women’s 4-kilometre individual pursuit. The current record is set by Britain’s Anna Morris, who ran 4:24.060 on Feb 22, 2025, at the National Track Championships. This record has been lowered several times since the women’s event distance was increased from 3 kilometres to 4 kilometres last January.