0:00:51 > 0:00:56This programme contains some strong language
0:01:26 > 0:01:29If you're a tiger, among animals,
0:01:29 > 0:01:31you might be a slightly ageing tiger,
0:01:31 > 0:01:33slightly less trained-than-you-could-be tiger,
0:01:33 > 0:01:35but you're still a tiger.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41The thing is, the stopwatch doesn't care what age you are.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45And the power meter doesn't care what age you are.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47That speed trap doesn't care what age you are.
0:01:51 > 0:01:52And I know I've got the ability for it.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55That's how I won the World Pursuit Championships.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20It's a great wee retirement village here, eh?
0:02:26 > 0:02:30This is great - seeing you all from so many different countries,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34and travelling so far to be here to do this. It's really exciting.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36We're just thrilled to have y'all here.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38I hope y'all have a really good week,
0:02:38 > 0:02:40and you all go as fast as you want to be going.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:02:51 > 0:02:55Human-powered vehicle - it seems a niche part of the sport.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02The rules are, it's human-powered.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04It can be arm-powered, leg-powered...
0:03:04 > 0:03:08No stored energy. And this record involves basically top-end speed.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19I want to go and break the world land speed record
0:03:19 > 0:03:22on a bike that I mainly build myself.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30When you actually stop and think about doing 83mph
0:03:30 > 0:03:33with your nose roughly 60cm from the ground,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36with a bicycle wheel for steerage,
0:03:36 > 0:03:39you think, that's quite exciting, that is - bring it on!
0:03:45 > 0:03:4810cm out of there...
0:03:49 > 0:03:54I want it to be less, but I'm working to what I know
0:03:54 > 0:03:58I can achieve within the laws of engineering and physics right now.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01Oh! That was inevitable!
0:04:04 > 0:04:07These are matching forks for the front wheel.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13But we wouldn't use this part, we'd use a standard braking mechanism.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15So, might as well...
0:04:17 > 0:04:18..cut the extra away.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24Because mass really does matter on these machines.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34Really, I became famous for building bikes and winning bike races.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37Most people remember Old Faithful.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39There was a piece of washing machine in there.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41And that's... People go, "Oh, yes, I remember now,
0:04:41 > 0:04:43"the bit of washing machine bike
0:04:43 > 0:04:44"and the guy that did the washing machine bike."
0:04:44 > 0:04:46It's like, you can't get away from that.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49I resented it for years - "I'm more than a washing machine bike!"
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Aye, but you know what? That's what people click on to.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59- MC:- Ladies and gentlemen, the only man it could be - the legend,
0:04:59 > 0:05:06the world hour holder, the world pursuit champion, Graeme Obree!
0:05:08 > 0:05:11Old Faithful's officially the most famous bike in the world.
0:05:12 > 0:05:13Because there's me built that bike
0:05:13 > 0:05:17and broke the world hour record on it, and then became world champion on it.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22Graeme has an ability to think outside the box,
0:05:22 > 0:05:24and that's a term that gets used a lot these days,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27But I think Graeme genuinely has this uncanny ability
0:05:27 > 0:05:30to be able to look at a problem from a different perspective
0:05:30 > 0:05:33and come up with a solution that nobody else would think of.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35And not only is he an engineering genius,
0:05:35 > 0:05:37but he's a genius on the bike, too.
0:05:40 > 0:05:45But to me, seeing a Scottish rider with no backing, no support,
0:05:45 > 0:05:47you know, doing it on his own, just with his own ideas
0:05:47 > 0:05:50and his own hard work, yeah, that really inspired me at that time.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54- COMMENTATOR:- At the bell now, Boardman, the Olympic champion,
0:05:54 > 0:05:55being beaten by Graeme Obree,
0:05:55 > 0:05:59on his unusual bicycle that cost him about 100 British pounds to make.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01He almost chipped on the bags there.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03But on the line, Graeme Obree has done it,
0:06:03 > 0:06:05he's beaten the world record!
0:06:05 > 0:06:094.22.668 for Graeme Obree!
0:06:09 > 0:06:12And he has knocked out the Olympic champion, Chris Boardman!
0:06:18 > 0:06:22Graeme Obree is running away with this World Championship.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25The question is, what will the world record be?
0:06:25 > 0:06:27Obree has got it! 4:20.894 -
0:06:29 > 0:06:31a new world record for Graeme Obree!
0:06:31 > 0:06:33Oh, steady on, Graeme!
0:06:33 > 0:06:37Tremendous ride - and this is the new world pursuit champion,
0:06:37 > 0:06:39and the record-holder.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42At the time I was just being beaten by this guy who was claiming to
0:06:42 > 0:06:45build bikes out of washing machines and eat marmalade sandwiches
0:06:45 > 0:06:47and get up and do the hour record.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50And yeah, it was quite irritating, to say the least.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57The Scotsman has been flying all the way round this circuit.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01He certainly will take his second world professional pursuit title.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05On the line, it's going to go to Obree from Scotland in 4:24.182.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08And look at the man from Scotland - the crowd really do love him.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27I mean, personally speaking, I want to do 100 mile an hour.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30I want to be the first man to do 100mph on this thing.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34I'm thinking, I want... You know, I don't want to aim...
0:07:34 > 0:07:37You know, they reckon, if you aim for the stars, you get to the moon.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40I want to aim for the bloody stars and actually get to the stars.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42Because I'm thinking, it was humanly,
0:07:42 > 0:07:44scientifically possible to do 100mph.
0:07:44 > 0:07:45That's where your knee goes.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50So, that's going like that.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52Personally, I'm choosing to lie forwards on it as a prone bike,
0:07:52 > 0:07:54because the shoulders are the widest part.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59If you want something aerodynamic, you want the widest part
0:07:59 > 0:08:01near the front and then tail off, for aerodynamic reasons.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04That'll actually tail off down there,
0:08:04 > 0:08:05as you get towards the bottom.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09And secondly, the amount of force you can achieve on that is phenomenal.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11For those two reasons, I want to build a prone bike.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15There!
0:08:15 > 0:08:16That one, eh?
0:08:22 > 0:08:25I was having an interesting conversation with somebody the other day,
0:08:25 > 0:08:27talking about, how did you conceptualise the whole thing?
0:08:27 > 0:08:29Mm-hm.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31I thought, well, this has got no rules and regulations.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34The rules are - go and innovate a bike.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37Design it yourself and ride as fast as you can.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39I was out on my bike having a run.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42I met two guys from the Loudoun Road Club.
0:08:42 > 0:08:43They invited me along to the club,
0:08:43 > 0:08:45and then there was one fella on the rollers,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48and it turned out it was Graeme. And there was a pillar of steam
0:08:48 > 0:08:50coming off him like a sort of chimney.
0:08:50 > 0:08:51So it was like this, you know,
0:08:51 > 0:08:55social-industrial type of image of Graeme training.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58So, Graeme, what was that originally?
0:08:58 > 0:08:59That was a piece of that old bike.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01The one that they were tipping out?
0:09:01 > 0:09:05The washing machine, it's untouched so far, Graeme, eh?
0:09:05 > 0:09:06Yeah, so far.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10- I think this fridge is going to get it next.- I'm moving onto fridges.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13I need aluminium from a fridge to fill in these wheels.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15Because these spokes will drag into the wind.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18And I know you want it to be fridges, so's it looks cool.
0:09:18 > 0:09:19Boom-boom! Look cool!
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Yeah!
0:09:21 > 0:09:25Graeme came up to me and mentioned "World land speed record".
0:09:25 > 0:09:29And I remember it, because my words were, "That's a dancer of an idea."
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Because it's pure Graeme.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34It's like the laws of physics, driven by an athlete.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36I said I've not spent any money.
0:09:36 > 0:09:37I'm actually wrong.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41I spent six quid at the charity shop for these.
0:09:41 > 0:09:42Look, look at them rollers!
0:09:44 > 0:09:46Basically, I'm on pedals, pushing back like that.
0:09:48 > 0:09:53Which powers that gear there, turns it, like a steam train,
0:09:53 > 0:09:56which turns that gear, which turns the back wheel to go, "Boff!",
0:09:56 > 0:09:59- flying up that road, Chick! - Brilliant, son!- That's the plan!
0:10:07 > 0:10:10When I was about four years old, moved to Newmilns in the valley,
0:10:10 > 0:10:12which was like a town of about 4,000 people.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16But we came in as outsiders. It's very much one of those places,
0:10:16 > 0:10:20unless your grandpa's buried in the graveyard, you're an outsider.
0:10:20 > 0:10:21Like, for ever.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26We were called "the filth" because we were police.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28That's how it was in those days.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33So, because I was a policeman's son,
0:10:33 > 0:10:35me and my brother always got picked on.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42Most of the time I would sneak out of the village,
0:10:42 > 0:10:44and get into the countryside, and I would go,
0:10:44 > 0:10:45and I would hide in the forest.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49Because that seemed a credible alternative
0:10:49 > 0:10:52to going and trying and find pals.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01But I just got on my bike as an escape mechanism,
0:11:01 > 0:11:04as this magic carpet that just sails through the atmosphere,
0:11:04 > 0:11:06and over hills and far away.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23I need to squish to find out how narrow my shoulders can get.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27Without... You see, that doesn't affect your breathing.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30I can't imagine them going any less than 40 centimetres.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32I bet you they do, I bet you they go to 35.
0:11:32 > 0:11:33Not comfortably, anyway.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35I need to squish behind something.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37The boys have never, in real life,
0:11:37 > 0:11:39seen their old man doing an actual event.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41They've heard all the stories.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43They love the whole, "Oh, your dad's..."
0:11:43 > 0:11:45But they were too young to go anywhere.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47So, here's a second bite at the cherry
0:11:47 > 0:11:48of doing a really exciting thing.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51So basically, this is basically the Obree position,
0:11:51 > 0:11:53the first one set from the... 2.0?
0:11:53 > 0:11:56Yeah! The one that people said, "You can't ride like that."
0:11:56 > 0:12:00- But there's no rules against you doing it in this one, though?- No!
0:12:00 > 0:12:01Take two!
0:12:03 > 0:12:04Oh, that feels good, actually.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06- More?- A bit more.
0:12:06 > 0:12:07Keep the cabinet straight to the wall
0:12:07 > 0:12:10so that we can measure directly, exactly what it is.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13I think that's about it, that's it.
0:12:13 > 0:12:14- Oh, that's good. - Right, measure that.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18It's that gap there - right there.
0:12:21 > 0:12:2234! Ya dancer!
0:12:29 > 0:12:32Right, so, what I've got, you see, my shoulders are actually that wide.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35- Yep.- Right. Which is so much more than that.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37But if I squish them in...
0:12:37 > 0:12:39Ah, I see!
0:12:39 > 0:12:41- I see!- Squish them in, right?
0:12:41 > 0:12:43That supports my body weight and squishes the shoulders in,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46so that at the front, it's narrower.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49And that part there, that steel part...
0:12:49 > 0:12:52If it's a choice between fibreglass, carbon or steel,
0:12:52 > 0:12:54I think I'd rather have a piece of steel beside my shoulder.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56And it turned out...
0:12:58 > 0:13:00..would you believe,
0:13:00 > 0:13:01there was a nice bit of stainless steel
0:13:01 > 0:13:05- just nestling under my kitchen cupboards? Look at that.- Frying pan.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07We've invented a frying pan that you can get side access,
0:13:07 > 0:13:10and you can bang your sausages from each end, like that.
0:13:10 > 0:13:11Look, I've invented something!
0:13:21 > 0:13:24Remember the pair of roller blades I had? That's what's left of it.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31Basically, I want to put this on here right now,
0:13:31 > 0:13:33as it will be in the real world...
0:13:35 > 0:13:36..for the sake of measurement.
0:13:40 > 0:13:41Stick your knee in it.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50So, that's obsessively where I want it.
0:13:53 > 0:13:54There. High tea.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00You know, it's nice just to enjoy the countryside
0:14:00 > 0:14:03without just gasping out.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12We're very lucky in Scotland, on these tiny, wee roads.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16I always train on these wee roads.
0:14:16 > 0:14:17No traffic bothering you.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35I became seriously depressed, to the point of actually believing
0:14:35 > 0:14:38that everybody would be better off if I was dead.
0:14:40 > 0:14:41I thought I was doing the world a favour.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46It was obviously a clear case of mental illness.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52And the funny thing is,
0:14:52 > 0:14:55the gap between deciding, OK, I WILL kill myself,
0:14:55 > 0:14:56to the point of killing myself...
0:14:57 > 0:15:00..was the calmest, most serene period of my life.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16I took 116 aspirins.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21And because that wasn't working I then cut the seat belt out of a car
0:15:21 > 0:15:26because I could use that to hang myself on the tree over there.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30At which point the police came and they realised that
0:15:30 > 0:15:32this guy seriously was suicidal.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41So, that got me into a mental institution...
0:15:42 > 0:15:44..which is quite a shock to the system.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49There was a second suicide attempt.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52I might have actually been dead already.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56I'm very fortunate to be here.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59You don't talk to many people that have been dead, do you?
0:16:02 > 0:16:04I think once you've been dead,
0:16:04 > 0:16:07then you have to appreciate being alive more.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17This is one of my favourite places. This is just passing the Black Loch.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24You can't tell me...
0:16:24 > 0:16:25HE GASPS
0:16:25 > 0:16:27..going to the gym is ever better than this.
0:16:29 > 0:16:30The real world.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33That's what's so lovely about bikes.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35It's a real sport in the real world.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39Over that hill and you see that view
0:16:39 > 0:16:42and you think, "Wow. Is there a better thing to do
0:16:42 > 0:16:45"on a sunny day than this?"
0:16:45 > 0:16:46Then you get to whiz downhill.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14Perfect.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26I realise I'm being a bit ambitious.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28But to go to aim at the record,
0:17:28 > 0:17:31it's basically through that finish of a track race,
0:17:31 > 0:17:35if it's like 45 seconds, you want to be up to speed.
0:17:35 > 0:17:36And have you had it up at that?
0:17:36 > 0:17:37No.
0:17:55 > 0:18:00What we're doing is making a start on taking some key points
0:18:00 > 0:18:03and datums of Graeme on it,
0:18:03 > 0:18:06so getting the boards below his back to the side
0:18:06 > 0:18:08so we can start taking points and,
0:18:08 > 0:18:10within keeping with the project so far,
0:18:10 > 0:18:13just using kind of honest and readily available materials
0:18:13 > 0:18:17like cardboard, tape, things of that nature.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19That's the seat.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27I think Graeme's very much got an idea in mind of what he wants,
0:18:27 > 0:18:29so it's really trying to achieve that and also make it
0:18:29 > 0:18:31aerodynamically efficient at the same time.
0:18:31 > 0:18:37It's amazing to have a clear plastic and you're going inside this thing.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41If I was an air molecule, I'd think,
0:18:41 > 0:18:43"Oh, straight past that," wouldn't you?
0:18:45 > 0:18:48- That is impressive, isn't it? - Just in here now, I'll do a bit.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52It's quite funny - looking at you and looking at this, you think, "Oh, that's too small".
0:18:52 > 0:18:55I think folk would think, "Is that for a kid or something?"
0:19:00 > 0:19:02MOBILE RINGS
0:19:02 > 0:19:03Hello?
0:19:04 > 0:19:05Yeah.
0:19:07 > 0:19:08I think I will be available.
0:19:08 > 0:19:09Who is it speaking, sorry?
0:19:09 > 0:19:12It's 5 Live did you say?
0:19:13 > 0:19:15We're talking about Lance Armstrong.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18He's not going to fight the drug allegations any more.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20Graeme Obree, one of the UK's best cyclists of all time,
0:19:20 > 0:19:24two world records, 1993, 1994.
0:19:24 > 0:19:25Graeme, where do you stand on this?
0:19:25 > 0:19:27Do you think he's done the right thing there?
0:19:27 > 0:19:29Well, I think it's very interesting.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33What actually transpired is Lance has actually decided
0:19:33 > 0:19:37to cool down the whole process of investigation.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40Lance isn't the only person involved in this.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44Now, the governing body of the sport itself oversaw the entire era
0:19:44 > 0:19:47and as has been spoken about already, it was a very grubby era.
0:19:47 > 0:19:52Now, as a rider myself, I can tell you that drug-taking was endemic.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56In 1995, I was offered a contract to ride the Tour de France with
0:19:56 > 0:19:59a Tour de France team and it explained that almost,
0:19:59 > 0:20:04I'm saying almost, every rider in the Tour de France will take...
0:20:04 > 0:20:07It was reported, and it was all arranged and I said,
0:20:07 > 0:20:10"It's not happening." And that was the end of my career. No more. The entire sport closed ranks.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13That was the end of my entire cycling career, basically.
0:20:13 > 0:20:20Graeme, you talked about the mental health issues that you suffered as a result. What does it do to you?
0:20:20 > 0:20:21I did suffer serious depression,
0:20:21 > 0:20:23but with other personal issues, obviously,
0:20:23 > 0:20:25but that was one factor that didn't help my situation.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37Phil, would you resent it if your career and your income and
0:20:37 > 0:20:40everything and that was just taken away by other people's actions?
0:20:41 > 0:20:43The resentment was lack of truth and here is truth.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48After 17 years of enforced silence,
0:20:48 > 0:20:51and they said that I was fired for unprofessionalism...
0:20:52 > 0:20:54..and I had no way of defending myself.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56I couldn't say, "Well, here is the truth,"
0:20:56 > 0:20:58because I would get sued out of my house.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00That's how it was in the '90s.
0:21:08 > 0:21:09The balance between being cynical
0:21:09 > 0:21:12and about telling the truth about the past
0:21:12 > 0:21:13and not tarnishing the present
0:21:13 > 0:21:15and the enthusiasm of young people.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Tomato and selfish paste.
0:21:39 > 0:21:40What's selfish paste?!
0:21:40 > 0:21:41Selfish paste!
0:21:41 > 0:21:44See when you go walking or something like that and you make a sandwich?
0:21:44 > 0:21:45"Oh, blag us a sandwich."
0:21:45 > 0:21:47And you go, "Oh, there's mustard in it."
0:21:47 > 0:21:50And you go, "Oh, all right, I'll no' bother."
0:21:50 > 0:21:56The classic, the best thing is, for safety, you put mustard and, er
0:21:56 > 0:22:00Marmite both in, so there's mustard and Marmite in it.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03Chances are you're going to eliminate most of the people
0:22:03 > 0:22:05that would blag your sandwich.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07That's why I call it selfish paste.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13The problem is, I'm struggling to see just level.
0:22:13 > 0:22:14So why don't we lose the hat?
0:22:16 > 0:22:18We knew, straight off, the shell wasn't good.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20It didnae fit him properly.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22His head didn't fit in.
0:22:23 > 0:22:24Oh, that's grand.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26It's right on your head there, OK?
0:22:26 > 0:22:30- What we'll do is we'll just tape it at that shape there, OK?- Aye.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38Beastie to ground control!
0:23:37 > 0:23:39'What makes you strong can also make you weak.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46'Like, the thing that makes me strong is my fear,
0:23:46 > 0:23:47'my obsessive behaviour,
0:23:47 > 0:23:51'my need to have an achievement, so that I can feel good about it.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58'Now, that's slightly unbalanced.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02'An unsatisfied person who is seeking satisfaction
0:24:02 > 0:24:05'through bigger and bigger results.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13'The average person who is happy and content in their life
0:24:13 > 0:24:16'are NOT going up at the seafront at seven o'clock on a Sunday morning
0:24:16 > 0:24:18'in the pouring rain.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21'Now, they're not strong people
0:24:21 > 0:24:23'that are going to win the world championship,
0:24:23 > 0:24:27'but they're not going to go and kill themselves.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30'They're stable, satisfied, contented people.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36'Now, I truly believe that the level you reach in anything
0:24:36 > 0:24:39'is your level of satisfaction.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48'And my level of satisfaction was the fastest human being in the best
0:24:48 > 0:24:52'possible events in the world, ultimately what I reached.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58'And it wasn't quite satisfying,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01'but there's no higher level to go to,
0:25:01 > 0:25:07'so, at that point, you don't have another step on the ladder.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09HE BREATHES HEAVILY
0:25:09 > 0:25:11'How do you feel good about yourself?
0:25:13 > 0:25:16'Then you move onto obsessional behaviour like substance abuse
0:25:16 > 0:25:19'to try and escape the fact that you need to feel better.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31'But someone who is more content in their life with who they are...
0:25:33 > 0:25:35'..don't need to push themselves like that.'
0:25:43 > 0:25:45HE COUGHS
0:25:45 > 0:25:48Oh! Sport's good for you! You know that?!
0:25:48 > 0:25:49HE LAUGHS
0:25:53 > 0:25:57It's January and we're in Puerto De Santiago in Tenerife.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02At Machrihanish airport I was kind of like that
0:26:02 > 0:26:04and I could see green and green
0:26:04 > 0:26:09and, under those conditions, I wasn't willing to put a punt on.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12I wanted to know that I could steer it even with the wind blowing,
0:26:12 > 0:26:15but when I did stop and fall over, that clear material,
0:26:15 > 0:26:18there was a crack on it.
0:26:18 > 0:26:19Now, if that's going to protect you
0:26:19 > 0:26:21sliding up a road at 80mph, I don't think it will.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33'It's an awful lot of commitment to go to Nevada
0:26:33 > 0:26:36'and, also, your reputation is at stake.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49'So, I've eliminated the factors that are perhaps unpredictable
0:26:49 > 0:26:51'which is basically other people.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54'Like, I'm now taking charge of this.'
0:27:21 > 0:27:24I decided that breathing was quite an important issue
0:27:24 > 0:27:25so I've manufactured
0:27:25 > 0:27:30a combination of snorkel and sink drainage unit.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38So, I feel good about all that.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46I took...a pill that my doctor prescribed.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48I was struggling with personal issues
0:27:48 > 0:27:51and struggling with the late nights and dust and everything.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53I took this antidepressant and I thought it was
0:27:53 > 0:27:57something that could help see me through, that he'd prescribed.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59And it would be good for me.
0:27:59 > 0:28:03So, the next morning I woke up and suffered a priapism.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08The doctor said, "Right, that's an emergency,
0:28:08 > 0:28:10I'm getting you right down to the hospital."
0:28:10 > 0:28:11At that point they go,
0:28:11 > 0:28:17"We need to give you a proper spinal tap," but that didn't work, and
0:28:17 > 0:28:24they actually got a cardiac surgeon to perform vascular surgery.
0:28:24 > 0:28:25You can see...
0:28:26 > 0:28:30..they've actually had to take a vein out of my leg...
0:28:32 > 0:28:36..and they've used that to form a blood supply and a blood outlet,
0:28:36 > 0:28:40different route, and there's more scarring like that in other parts.
0:28:40 > 0:28:42About ten hours on the operating table.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46But the bottom line is, it means I can't think about riding a bike.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48The guy says three weeks.
0:28:48 > 0:28:49A bit of a setback.
0:28:49 > 0:28:51But you know what?
0:28:51 > 0:28:52It's not a setback
0:28:52 > 0:28:55until the last minute you're not making the start line.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13I've been given the all-clear by the surgeon to go and ride.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16We'll give it a big haematoma and infection thing.
0:29:16 > 0:29:18That is what that kind of sweat is, the antibiotics.
0:29:19 > 0:29:24Er, but I can ride, and I will be able to ride and train.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28That's what they've said, "Green light, go ahead."
0:29:31 > 0:29:32HE WHISTLES
0:29:35 > 0:29:38Now that's proper running smooth.
0:29:38 > 0:29:39Finger touch.
0:29:55 > 0:29:57'I'm putting my reputation on the line a wee bit. That's the fear.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02'And other people have punted good money to get me out there,
0:30:02 > 0:30:05'that have believed in me from pretty much the start
0:30:05 > 0:30:08'and it's as much the fear of letting them down as anything else.'
0:30:09 > 0:30:12- Chic, can I take this helmet off? - Aye, course you can, yeah.
0:30:13 > 0:30:14Right, chocks away, chaps!
0:30:17 > 0:30:18Are you ready?
0:30:21 > 0:30:25- Oh!- Argh!- You all right?
0:30:25 > 0:30:26Uh-huh.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28What happened there?
0:30:28 > 0:30:29There was nothing to grab onto.
0:30:29 > 0:30:31You should have been the other side.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34- Are you OK?- Uh-huh.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36So that is the fundamental problem we've got.
0:30:36 > 0:30:37What?
0:30:37 > 0:30:39All I can do is keep a straight line
0:30:39 > 0:30:44and you keep me upright or not, and I have no control over that.
0:30:44 > 0:30:47OK, so let's go up the runway without the lid on.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49Let's see what kind of pace I can get it up to.
0:30:49 > 0:30:50Right, OK.
0:30:59 > 0:31:01'Well, it's here and test, or America.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06'I have to concentrate on looking at where I'm going
0:31:06 > 0:31:09'through this really strained, bifocal, rumbly vision.
0:31:10 > 0:31:14'You can kind of see this white line and a general hazy kind of focus,
0:31:14 > 0:31:15'but only in the middle.
0:31:15 > 0:31:17'And then you've got a real rumble on it as well.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21'There's a really twitchy response.
0:31:21 > 0:31:24'I have to just use my forearms to steer it.
0:31:24 > 0:31:26'I need to concentrate on the pedalling.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34'It feels more like an effort
0:31:34 > 0:31:36'in some sort of big deep-sea diving suit
0:31:36 > 0:31:38'once you've got the breathing apparatus
0:31:38 > 0:31:40'and you're really enclosed in it.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42'And the feeling that you're going to choke later
0:31:42 > 0:31:45'when you bite into it to hold it, and you're actually breathing
0:31:45 > 0:31:47'and it's closing up the hole slightly.
0:31:47 > 0:31:48'That's a panic.
0:31:49 > 0:31:53'When you get to 1km to go in the States, I need to feel the burn.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59'Once I pass that speed trap, I need to have the confidence that
0:31:59 > 0:32:03'I can breathe enough later to guide this vehicle in to get caught.'
0:32:12 > 0:32:15- 25?- Aye. - It must have been more than that.
0:32:15 > 0:32:17You got up to 40, seriously.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22- For goodness' sake. - You're just turning everything over.
0:32:22 > 0:32:24You've just got forward through the glass there.
0:32:24 > 0:32:29It's satisfying, but it's slightly not satisfying as well.
0:32:29 > 0:32:33Because I want to go, "Aye, I've done 60 or 65 or something."
0:32:33 > 0:32:34And I've not.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47Prestwick was a traumatic experience.
0:32:51 > 0:32:53Now, somebody did suggest,
0:32:53 > 0:32:56are you really going to go to America after that performance?
0:32:56 > 0:32:5825mph, How are you possibly going to get on any decent pace?
0:33:00 > 0:33:04So, but at the end of that it is... No. You can't just give up.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08I think, "What can I do about it?"
0:33:08 > 0:33:09GRINDER BUZZES
0:33:14 > 0:33:16The post-disaster Prestwick discussion,
0:33:16 > 0:33:19I was getting quite heated at points
0:33:19 > 0:33:22and I suggested we just step back.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24I've known Graeme since he was a young guy.
0:33:28 > 0:33:30I don't understand depression...
0:33:31 > 0:33:34..but I sort of know when to take the foot off the gas a wee bit
0:33:34 > 0:33:37with him, because he'll normally come round.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54They wouldn't touch that for a minute.
0:33:57 > 0:33:59Oh!
0:33:59 > 0:34:01I've not allowed any spare space at all
0:34:01 > 0:34:04because you have to be obsessional at that level
0:34:04 > 0:34:06if you want to break world records.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09With the lid on, it's pushing my pelvis slightly down
0:34:09 > 0:34:11and my knees are slightly hitting the metalwork.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15It's going to have to be raised up.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17This is going to be taken off altogether,
0:34:17 > 0:34:19this top piece, altogether.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22It's geared up to be, you can do 100mph.
0:34:22 > 0:34:25It's clear if, I'm doing 35mph as it is,
0:34:25 > 0:34:27I'm not going to do 100mph.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30I can tell you that right now.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34We've got to gear down to a more pragmatic gear.
0:34:37 > 0:34:39In fact, dropping the gear about 25%...
0:34:40 > 0:34:43..but not giving up on the fact that you could possibly get on the
0:34:43 > 0:34:46world-record pace. It's not an impossible gear to do that with.
0:34:46 > 0:34:47It's now the 10th of August.
0:34:47 > 0:34:49This has to be in a crate in Aberdeen,
0:34:49 > 0:34:51which is 200 miles from here...
0:34:53 > 0:34:55..to be shipped out on the 23rd,
0:34:55 > 0:34:58so it's got to leave on the 22nd.
0:34:58 > 0:34:59Eh, that's 12 days.
0:34:59 > 0:35:00SAWING
0:35:11 > 0:35:12Ah, come on.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24There.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28It's not as I would want it, but it's OK.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54'The guys at Prestwick Airport,
0:35:54 > 0:35:57'they have a facility to paint The Beastie with a finish that we're
0:35:57 > 0:36:00'looking for. I never thought we'd get anywhere near it.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03'But I'm a wee bit on edge.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06'I now know for certain were going to be there.
0:36:06 > 0:36:10'We've got Graeme directed and focused on where he needs to get to,
0:36:10 > 0:36:13'but I don't know how fast The Beastie is going to go.'
0:36:13 > 0:36:18If his power potential is, like, where he can get it to,
0:36:18 > 0:36:20THAT will go fast.
0:36:30 > 0:36:34Still slightly jet-lagged, but what I want to do now at this stage
0:36:34 > 0:36:37is actually get some real quite fast pedalling in.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40Because if we're going to be going at a high cadence
0:36:40 > 0:36:42then I want to get my legs into suppleness for that,
0:36:42 > 0:36:44which I used to have all through my life.
0:36:48 > 0:36:49I see a road going up the hill.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52You can see the climb from here. It snakes up over the hill there.
0:36:53 > 0:36:55That's the best run. It's quieter roads as well.
0:37:03 > 0:37:07I'm glad we went and stayed in Elko rather than making the decision
0:37:07 > 0:37:09to go into Battle Mountain.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12Part of the decision about that was to isolate Graeme.
0:37:14 > 0:37:18He could be on his own and just get on with training...
0:37:19 > 0:37:21..and acclimatise.
0:38:15 > 0:38:16HE GULPS BREATHS
0:38:22 > 0:38:23OK, the road is now closed
0:38:23 > 0:38:26and we are rolling sweet, we are now rolling sweet.
0:38:47 > 0:38:48RADIO CRACKLES
0:38:48 > 0:38:51Catch to start. Do you read me, over?
0:39:10 > 0:39:12I was standing minding my own business on the start line
0:39:12 > 0:39:14and was approached and he said,
0:39:14 > 0:39:17"Listen, put that notepad down. I need you to launch me."
0:39:17 > 0:39:20And I look and said, "What?!"
0:39:20 > 0:39:25You know? I've looked at this machine that he's built for the past two years in absolute awe.
0:39:25 > 0:39:29I have been afraid to even lay a hand on it and Graeme Obree
0:39:29 > 0:39:31was saying, "Launch the bloody thing!"
0:39:31 > 0:39:33OK, stand by, stand by.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36Roger, start copies.
0:39:36 > 0:39:37On you go, Gary.
0:39:37 > 0:39:40Right, OK, take it away.
0:39:42 > 0:39:43Have you got it, Graeme?
0:39:47 > 0:39:49Our first launch wasn't successful.
0:39:49 > 0:39:51The bike fell over.
0:39:52 > 0:39:53I felt really awful.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56Have you launched Graeme yet, over?
0:39:56 > 0:39:59Negative. We tried to. Graeme fell.
0:39:59 > 0:40:01Again, Gary, take it again, on you go.
0:40:01 > 0:40:02Are you OK, G?
0:40:08 > 0:40:09Well done, Gary.
0:40:09 > 0:40:10'He is under way.'
0:40:10 > 0:40:11Well done, mate.
0:40:11 > 0:40:13- 'How far underway?' - On you go.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16OK, Roger that.
0:40:26 > 0:40:30The Beastie is so erratic. It looks so unstable.
0:40:30 > 0:40:32I'm just shitting myself.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57I just hope to God Graeme can get over that line
0:40:57 > 0:41:00and hopefully he gets a bit of speed as well.
0:41:25 > 0:41:26Keep coming, keep coming.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36- Well done.- Good job!
0:41:36 > 0:41:39You did 50mph.
0:41:39 > 0:41:41Yeah, that'll do for now.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43He got it over the line. We had qualified.
0:41:43 > 0:41:44Good work, you've qualified.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47We can play with the big boys.
0:41:50 > 0:41:52RADIO CHATTER OBSCURES SPEECH
0:41:52 > 0:41:55And I didn't race it then because it seemed unstable.
0:41:55 > 0:41:57OK, coming in.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00'This is Dave Larrington, following them down.'
0:42:00 > 0:42:02This is the first run, though. How do you assess it?
0:42:02 > 0:42:05I think it was a success because I brought it down the road.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07I wasnae going to race it because it was too unstable,
0:42:07 > 0:42:08but my God, hold it to this line
0:42:08 > 0:42:10and then I can decide about gearing later on.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12Yeah, yeah.
0:42:13 > 0:42:17- But that's it for now. - Good, good.
0:42:17 > 0:42:23The first run was Graeme in Beastie at 47.67 miles an hour.
0:42:27 > 0:42:32We had Sebastiaan in VeloX 3 at 78.21.
0:42:40 > 0:42:41I've got to try and get a punt on,
0:42:41 > 0:42:45- a real punt on, without the bike going all over the place. - Yeah, yeah.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48That's what I've got to try and do to get to that speed.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51That's my understanding of it at the moment. If were going to get to
0:42:51 > 0:42:53those speeds, that's what we've got to tackle.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56We'll get it out and get that gear on tomorrow.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10So, Graeme managed to get a slot in the runs,
0:43:10 > 0:43:12but he was just on the periphery.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16It's like a sort of handicap system.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18So if you go really fast on your first run,
0:43:18 > 0:43:19you're guaranteed a slot.
0:43:23 > 0:43:25The first run wasn't good enough to guarantee
0:43:25 > 0:43:28that we know Graeme's going to get a run all week
0:43:28 > 0:43:31and that's a problem, because if you don't get a run,
0:43:31 > 0:43:33you don't improve your time.
0:43:34 > 0:43:36So he needed to go out and do faster times.
0:43:40 > 0:43:42Is that the gear you had to change?
0:43:42 > 0:43:48Yes. This one? The 17 has come off and the 12 has gone on.
0:43:50 > 0:43:51We've not got a ride tonight.
0:43:51 > 0:43:53- Oh, right.- So we can relax.
0:43:54 > 0:43:56Obviously I've not qualified.
0:43:56 > 0:43:58We've not qualified, so I'm going to
0:43:58 > 0:44:00put us in for the two rides tomorrow morning,
0:44:00 > 0:44:02one in the two-and-a-half and one in the five.
0:44:02 > 0:44:05OK? Let's do both of them tomorrow morning.
0:44:05 > 0:44:09- It means that we'll be up there all morning, OK?- Right.
0:44:18 > 0:44:20Some of the teams are really complex
0:44:20 > 0:44:23in their and nurture and care of the vehicles.
0:44:26 > 0:44:28Look at Graeme in isolation,
0:44:28 > 0:44:30trying his best and doing bloody good with it.
0:44:33 > 0:44:38And then the Dutch guys, they're at the forefront of aerodynamics.
0:44:38 > 0:44:42It's cost an absolute fortune to put together a team.
0:44:44 > 0:44:48They're a step change ahead of where The Beastie was
0:44:48 > 0:44:50and a number of other riders.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01So once we knew what the speed potential was for The Beastie,
0:45:01 > 0:45:03once we knew it wasn't going to be 75mph,
0:45:03 > 0:45:07there was a discussion at that point in time about the prone record
0:45:07 > 0:45:09and the prone record was 54mph.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12Once we saw that, we knew that Graeme was close to it.
0:45:13 > 0:45:17So it was a matter of Graeme going out with that target in mind.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25Take a bit of spring, right? You hear me?
0:45:27 > 0:45:28Let's not...
0:45:30 > 0:45:33Oh, it's away! Ha-ha!
0:45:33 > 0:45:35Graeme, that was childish.
0:45:35 > 0:45:36TRAIN HORN SOUNDS
0:45:51 > 0:45:53It's Thursday, so we had two days.
0:45:54 > 0:45:55Bloody good conditions.
0:45:57 > 0:45:59So, in my head, today's the day.
0:46:02 > 0:46:03Right.
0:46:03 > 0:46:05'When you're ready, over.'
0:46:19 > 0:46:22Gary done a brilliant launch and off Graeme went
0:46:22 > 0:46:23and I was, like, highly optimistic.
0:46:43 > 0:46:47There is a fighting element to it and it's just the discomfort.
0:46:47 > 0:46:51If you have to raise it to 56mph, that becomes very uncomfortable.
0:46:51 > 0:46:52If you lose that air tube,
0:46:52 > 0:46:55then you could actually suffocate and faint in there.
0:46:57 > 0:46:59You can actually end up hitting the rocks.
0:46:59 > 0:47:01And you WILL break your neck.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14I was totally gasped out, 500 metres to go,
0:47:14 > 0:47:16to the point I can hardly see where I'm going.
0:47:19 > 0:47:22You're hitting the 500-metre mark
0:47:22 > 0:47:25knowing that you are actually totally nailing this,
0:47:25 > 0:47:27because I absolutely have to.
0:47:27 > 0:47:29It's like, "Must is a good master".
0:47:31 > 0:47:34You MUST break that record, for emotional survival.
0:47:36 > 0:47:39That outweighs the sense of fear of suffocation.
0:47:49 > 0:47:50GASPING
0:47:50 > 0:47:52OK. I have him. We have him.
0:47:53 > 0:47:55Good job.
0:47:55 > 0:47:57You were pushing 60 there.
0:47:57 > 0:47:58- Yeah.- Well done, Graeme.
0:47:58 > 0:48:01When they let me out... I'm going "Let me out, let me out!"
0:48:01 > 0:48:02I panicked in the last minute.
0:48:02 > 0:48:05- Yeah, you're bleeding. - Couldn't breathe.
0:48:05 > 0:48:07- Where?- Just up from here.
0:48:09 > 0:48:12What did I, did I make the 56?
0:48:12 > 0:48:14Erm, we think so.
0:48:14 > 0:48:17We think you did about 55, 56.
0:48:18 > 0:48:20Excellent. Good job, guys. Good job.
0:48:20 > 0:48:23Good job. Certainly over 55 coming out of the speed trap.
0:48:25 > 0:48:27I slowed down at the speed trap. I was panicking.
0:48:27 > 0:48:28"Let me out, I just want out."
0:48:36 > 0:48:3952.5.
0:48:39 > 0:48:40Fuck.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43You got a hat.
0:48:43 > 0:48:45Got your 50mph hat.
0:48:45 > 0:48:46- That's great.- Yeah?
0:48:47 > 0:48:49Roger that, thank you.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52- So keep stepping it up a little bit. - Right, we need to go again.
0:49:21 > 0:49:23'This was the drop.
0:49:24 > 0:49:29'This is the point of pressure and stress that, until recent times,
0:49:29 > 0:49:31'my psychologist, she would never have countenanced me
0:49:31 > 0:49:35'being allowed to actually be in this cauldron of stress...
0:49:35 > 0:49:37- BYSTANDERS:- Yeah!
0:49:43 > 0:49:45'..for the last months,
0:49:45 > 0:49:47'of knowing that that race is going to be substandard.
0:49:47 > 0:49:49'Knowing we're coming to America with economic backing
0:49:49 > 0:49:52'and people backing me up and people pressuring me, going,
0:49:52 > 0:49:55'"Graeme, come on, you've really actually got to blast your guts out
0:49:55 > 0:49:57'even though you're dog-tired."
0:50:02 > 0:50:05'That's...five times in my life I've had to do that.
0:50:05 > 0:50:07'Two hour records, two world championships and that.
0:50:10 > 0:50:12'And people say, "You WILL beat that record.
0:50:12 > 0:50:13"You're not committed enough."
0:50:13 > 0:50:16'When I've known the bike just isn't good enough. Get a grip here.
0:50:16 > 0:50:19'I'm coming over here to face embarrassment
0:50:19 > 0:50:20'so I can then go home and hide.'
0:50:25 > 0:50:27If we had a two-and-a-half mile course
0:50:27 > 0:50:31that finished two miles up the road I feel I could probably do 58 or 60.
0:50:32 > 0:50:33It's not. It's here.
0:50:33 > 0:50:35There's something draggy about this straight.
0:50:35 > 0:50:38Unless I've got a mental block about it, there's something draggy about it.
0:50:38 > 0:50:40You actually lose speed in this last mile.
0:50:41 > 0:50:43You recognise we need to go again.
0:50:43 > 0:50:50There's a parallel to be drawn here in the...time you won the world record...
0:50:50 > 0:50:51Final.
0:50:51 > 0:50:53..in terms of, on the Saturday night...
0:50:55 > 0:50:57..you hadn't done it, but you went back the next day
0:50:57 > 0:50:59when other people thought that, you know...
0:50:59 > 0:51:02You know, you've got that capacity to say, "Fuck it. I'm going to go again."
0:51:02 > 0:51:04Oh, I've got to go again and do it right this time.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12The pain of failure and the feeling of failure
0:51:12 > 0:51:15between stopping the first record attempt
0:51:15 > 0:51:16and saying, "I'm going again",
0:51:16 > 0:51:19actually changed me as an athlete.
0:51:20 > 0:51:22Changed me as a human being.
0:51:26 > 0:51:30That was the moment where, see that 1% that you can't access,
0:51:30 > 0:51:32of energy and drive,
0:51:32 > 0:51:36the type of energy that gets your kids out a burning building,
0:51:36 > 0:51:41that's the energy that's so painful to have not achieved
0:51:41 > 0:51:44of that level that you needed to.
0:51:44 > 0:51:47That's the point when you actually change as a human being.
0:51:49 > 0:51:53In other words, I needed to fail to access that.
0:51:58 > 0:52:01And the next day,
0:52:01 > 0:52:06I was then able to access all of this.
0:52:06 > 0:52:08Because I actually needed to win,
0:52:08 > 0:52:09even if I was going to die.
0:52:12 > 0:52:14I needed to justify my self-worth...
0:52:15 > 0:52:17..as a human being.
0:52:41 > 0:52:45I kept Graeme out the way as late as possible.
0:52:45 > 0:52:47We got onto that start line with five minutes to spare.
0:52:53 > 0:52:56We had been getting on really good with getting the lid on,
0:52:56 > 0:52:58but that morning we couldn't get the lid on.
0:52:58 > 0:52:59It was just a nightmare.
0:53:31 > 0:53:34Gary did a brilliant start and Graeme got it away brilliant,
0:53:34 > 0:53:36but it was windy
0:53:36 > 0:53:39and I was, like, shitting myself. I was thinking, "We've blown it."
0:53:49 > 0:53:50STEADY BREATHING
0:54:10 > 0:54:12BREATHING QUICKENS
0:54:35 > 0:54:37BREATHING ECHOES
0:55:41 > 0:55:46He was fantastic and he did a 56.62mph into
0:55:46 > 0:55:503mph head wind, but with legal winds.
0:55:51 > 0:55:52So we're very excited.
0:55:52 > 0:55:5656.6mph, new world prone bike best.
0:55:57 > 0:55:58There.
0:55:58 > 0:56:02To come here and then to set a world record first time round,
0:56:02 > 0:56:04that's pretty impressive.
0:56:07 > 0:56:10Well done, Graeme. Well done.
0:56:10 > 0:56:13All good. Mission accomplished.
0:56:13 > 0:56:16Albeit it wasn't the mission we set out for,
0:56:16 > 0:56:18but it was mission accomplished.
0:56:24 > 0:56:25After my mental illness,
0:56:25 > 0:56:28I shouldn't have allowed myself to have to dig that deep,
0:56:28 > 0:56:30that emotional trauma of having to go again,
0:56:30 > 0:56:32again, with my back against the wall.
0:56:32 > 0:56:35I shouldn't have allowed myself to be in that position,
0:56:35 > 0:56:38erm, emotionally.
0:56:46 > 0:56:49As you know, there are near ideal conditions this morning,
0:56:49 > 0:56:53so we have Graeme in Beastie,
0:56:53 > 0:56:5656.62mph.
0:57:07 > 0:57:10It was strange. Just the five minutes before I spoke to you here,
0:57:10 > 0:57:13the timekeeper announced it is a new official world record
0:57:13 > 0:57:17and that's a strange feeling. I've not heard that for 20 years.
0:57:17 > 0:57:20It's a slow absorbance of, "Oh, my goodness,
0:57:20 > 0:57:22"I've just broken a world record. Bona fide. Official."
0:57:23 > 0:57:26So I'm still absorbing that, so that's nice.
0:57:32 > 0:57:37Like, I've personally shot out for the stars and reached the moon.
0:57:37 > 0:57:39And, OK, I had to lower the peg,
0:57:39 > 0:57:43but I got to the point I did manage to do 56.6mph and take the record.
0:57:44 > 0:57:51He's a maverick genius. He's got the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old kid.
0:57:51 > 0:57:54But when it comes down to it, what 48-year-old
0:57:54 > 0:57:58would squeeze themselves into a coffin on two wheels
0:57:58 > 0:58:02and launch themselves across a highway in northern Nevada
0:58:02 > 0:58:09at speeds touching 60mph in a machine that's made from saucepans
0:58:09 > 0:58:11and second-hand roller-skates
0:58:11 > 0:58:16that cost six and a half quid from a charity store in Saltcoats?!
0:58:16 > 0:58:20It's mad, absolutely mad. And that's why we love him.
0:58:28 > 0:58:31The sense of relief will fade and the sense of...
0:58:33 > 0:58:36..of folk going, "Oh, wow! You broke a world record. Well done, big man!"
0:58:41 > 0:58:43I guess tigers don't change their stripes, do they?
0:58:43 > 0:58:46It's like, when their back's against the wall, it's like...
0:58:46 > 0:58:47"Rrr! You're getting it!"
0:58:51 > 0:58:53MUSIC: I Was The King by Alun Woodward
0:58:53 > 0:58:55# I was the king
0:58:55 > 0:59:00# I was crowned in the ring
0:59:00 > 0:59:03# On a course where I flew
0:59:03 > 0:59:08# I was brutal and true
0:59:08 > 0:59:12# In the bright fjord night
0:59:12 > 0:59:15# In Bordeaux fond and sly
0:59:15 > 0:59:20# In the jungles I rule
0:59:20 > 0:59:26# I was king, I was Rex Omnium #