55”433. This is the new world record for the kilometer from a standing start., established by taking full advantage of the benefits of the Aguascalientes (Mexico) heights by Jeffrey HighlandThe thirty-year-old Dutchman had been chasing this record for some time, but had never found the time to undertake the lengthy preparation and management of the trip. Hoogland lowered the previous record by almost nine tenths. Not content with that, two days later he also took the 500 metres title, in 24”564 with a margin of two tenths on the time set by the British Hoy in La Paz in 2007., but missing the 200 metres after 3 attempts, 9”100 which was beaten by Nicholas Paul of Trinidad by just 3 thousandths.
We wanted to talk about all these numbers with the national team coach Ivan Forty, to understand what meanings are behind them because Hoogland's enterprises overseas are already being studied: «We have collected a huge amount of data and images – underlines Quaranta – on which the Performance Group he is already working and developing graphs and studies that will also be very useful to us in our work with our children."
What impression did you get from Hoogland's 1.000-meter time?
First of all, it should be underlined that the old French record Pervis he had established it 10 years ago and since then there has been a huge technical progress, in terms of materials, preparation of the man but also of the ideal conditions of the track, which was warmed up before the attempt. However, it is a magical track, where it is almost guaranteed that you will achieve the record, even Vittoria Bussi He set his hour record there. However, this doesn't change the fact that these are enormous times, especially when compared to those at sea level (where the record also belongs to Hoogland, 57.813 set in Grenchen, Switzerland, ed.). His record got me thinking a lot...
Why?
When I found out, I wondered if Hoogland wanted to aim for the record as a legacy at the end of his career or if it was the greatest demonstration of his calibreThe Dutchman was coming off the World Championships in August, he pushed ahead with his preparations for the record, and now he's preparing for the European Championships in January. Never giving up, you have to be a phenomenon to do that.
Don't you think he could even overlook the European Championships? After all, the Netherlands certainly has no Olympic qualification problems, and above all, they have a huge talent pool; they can easily replace him...
I thought so, and besides, even if he's not 100 percent fit, he could still win, considering the huge margin he has over everyone else. It is clear, however, that such a form held for so long is an anomalous case, we are used to cycles that at most can foresee two peaks of condition, but you also need to know how to plan and achieve them. He, on the other hand, has shown astonishing consistency.
At the end of the race, his recovery was very difficult: he couldn't get off the bike and it took him over half an hour to fully recover.
This is normal given the thinness of the air. In those conditions, there is a risk of embolism and fainting.In fact, he had an oxygen mask both before and after. The body is practically polluted by lactic acid, which is difficult to eliminate without adequate oxygen. I've run at altitude, so I know how long it takes to recover.
Hoogland also improved the 500-meter record but missed the 200-meter record. How do you explain that?
We've also discussed this with other technicians, and this confirms a theory we've developed: we're now close to the maximum speed limit when cornering. Let me explain: Hoogland averaged a cornering speed of 79 kilometers per hour. You can't go much further, because at that point centrifugal force takes over, pulling the athlete away from the racing line.We also need to take into account body mass—Jeffrey will be at least between 100 and 110 kilos—and air resistance, which is not directly proportional to speed. These are all factors we're working on with the performance group, meticulously analyzing the footage from Aguascalientes.
These records are also a response to Lavreysen, to get out of his shadow a little?
I know them well; the track is a small, intimate environment, and everyone hangs out there. They respect each other a lot, but they're fierce rivals. They're also very different, physically and in terms of characteristics. It is no coincidence that Lavreysen is stronger in certain disciplines and Hoogland in others, those against the clock, then in the team sprint they complement each other.I think Lavreysen could not reach these levels in the kilometre, not even at altitude.
Are these performances a good example for Italian kids?
Certainly, they need to be studied carefully, even in the riding position, in the trajectories. We are looking ahead to our own, we have already started preparing for the European Championships in January, it will be a very intense season right from the start with 4 major events from January to April. (including 3 Nations Cup events, ed.) to compete for Olympic qualification. We are tenth but not far from the eighth-placed team, the last to qualify for Paris 2024. We're trying, but Let's not forget that ours are by far the youngest of the lotWe're the strongest U23s in the world, but to reach those levels requires years of training, because you won't be lifting certain weights in the gym from one year to the next. Give us time...
