Ashton Lambie set a new (currently unofficial) world record for a 4km standing start. The record, set at the Aguascalientes Stadium in Mexico, was 3:59.930.

The record has been shortened by nearly 10 seconds in the last decade, with Jack Bobridge's 4:10.534 set in 2011 being reduced to 4:01.934 by Filippo Ganna in 2020.

Inspired by Roger Bannister, who first broke the 4-minute barrier in the mile in 1954, Lambie wanted to not only beat Ganna's time, but also become the first athlete to break the 4-minute barrier on the board. In announcing his challenge, Bannister said that with records steadily being shortened, a sub-four-minute record reset "is not a dream, but an inevitability."

"I'm speechless," Lambie said on Instagram after setting the time. ''Thank you all for making this dream a reality, 3:59.930."

This is not the first time Lambie has broken the record, as he is one of the riders who has lowered the record many times over the past decade to reach 4:05.423 in September 2019.

However, Ganna has been pulling records under 4:05 since November 2019, and Lambie was the closest rider to his time when he lowered his mark to 4:01.934 in qualifying for the 2020 Berlin Track World Championships. The American was 1.706 slower in qualifying, and Ganna took the lead in the gold medal race.

Lambie, a Nebraska native with a gravel race background, may have surpassed Ganna's world record time at the Aguascalientes velodrome (located at 1,800 meters above sea level and a preferred venue for record attempts), but the road to it was not smooth sailing. 'I'm not sure I'm going to be able to do it,' Lambie said on Instagram."

But after Wednesday's challenge, which was broadcast live on Instagram, it was clear he had achieved his goal by the cheers and triumphant arms before Lambie was dismounted from his bike and relieved to the ground.