Leontien Martha Henrica Petronella Zijlaard-van Moorsel is a Dutch retired racing cyclist. She was a dominant cyclist in the 1990s and early 2000s, winning four gold medals at the Olympic Games and holding the hour record for women from 2003 until 2015.
Leontien van Moorsel in 1991
Leontien van Moorsel at the 2018 Women's Amstel Gold Race.
The hour record is the record for the longest distance cycled in one hour on a bicycle from a stationary start. Cyclists attempt this record alone on the track without other competitors present. It is considered one of the most prestigious records in cycling. Since it was first set, cyclists ranging from unknown amateurs to well-known professionals have held the record, adding to its prestige, romance and allure. There is now one unified record for upright bicycles meeting the requirements of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). Hour-record attempts for UCI bikes are made in a velodrome.
James Moore who set the first recorded hour record of 23.3 km in 1873
Eddy Merckx's 1972 hour record steel-framed bike
The Lotus 108 bicycle, a forerunner to the Lotus 110 Chris Boardman used to set a new hour record of 56.375 km (35.030 mi) in 1996.
The bike used by Jens Voigt in the first attempt under the unified regulations in 2014