Over history, various cyclists ranging from unknown amateurs to well-known professionals have held the record, adding to its prestige and allure.
The current record for a streamlined recumbent bicycle enclosed in an aerodynamic shell under the International Human Powered Vehicle Association (IHPVA) rules is held by Francesco Russo at 92.43 km (57.43 mi).
This caused controversy in the world of cycling as Faure was considered a "second-category" cyclist, but his recumbent bicycle had effectively allowed him to win races against professional riders of the time.
These feature vehicle a lower frontal area than a UCI bicycle due to their recumbent seating design of the rider.
They enclose the rider and machine in aerodynamic shapes made of carbon fibre, Kevlar or fiberglass to reduce air resistance.
The International Human Powered Vehicle Association (IHPVA) was started in 1975 by Jack Lambie and California college professor, Dr. Chet Kyle, who challenged his students to build a faster bicycle.
The IHPVA hour record was first set in 1979 by Olympian Ron Skarin, who went 51.31 km (31.88 mi) on a streamlined upright bicycle designed by Chet and Joyce Kyle.
In 1990, Pat Kinch went 75.57 km (46.96 mi) on a streamlined recumbent, narrowly breaking the record set by Skarin and Hollander.
In 2006, Fred Markham, a 1976-80 US Olympic team member, set a record distance of 85.99 km (53.43 mi) on the track at the Nissan Technical Center, near Casa Grande in Arizona.
[2] Both Markham and Whittingham rode vehicles called Varna designed and built by the Bulgarian sculptor George Georgiev, who lives in British Columbia, Canada.
Chris Boardman's UCI Absolute (formerly known as Best Human effort) Hour record of 56.375 km (35.03 miles) has now been bettered twice by a rider on an unfaired recumbent bicycle, without a streamlined enclosure.
These featured a very reclined seat position (almost flat on back), a single elliptical chainring, short-length crankset to minimize the bending of his legs and volume of air swept out for better aerodynamics, and dual 700c (ETRTO 622) approximately 27-inch diameter wheels.
Both rides were at the Velodrome du Lac in Bordeaux, the site of several UCI Hour records including Rominger's, Indurain's and Obree's.
The hour record for recumbent bicycles without aerodynamic fairings, set by Francis Faure in 1933, was broken in 2007 by Sean Costin, who covered 48.80 km (28.46 mi) on the 382m outdoor concrete velodrome in Northbrook, Illinois.
[6] On May 15, 2009, 26-year-old Aurélien Bonneteau set a new WRRA unfaired world record of 50.52 km (31.40 mi) in Bordeaux-Lax, France, at the Guy Lapebie indoor velodrome.
Bonneteau was racing an M5 lowracer set up with single speed gearing, both front and rear wheel disks, and a very elliptical chainring.
The next day October 18, 2009, Niels van de Wal set a new mark of 51.33 km (31.895 miles) on a M5 mid-racer recumbent called the Nadir.
Details of the race weekend here:[8] Barbara Buatois of France set two Ladies Unfaired Recumbent One-Hour records within two weeks in October 2009.
At the Apeldoorn event on October 17, 2009, she rode 46.048 km (28.613 miles), a mark which would have also broken the long-standing men's record of Francis Faure from 1933.