Dowsett smashes one hour record

LONDON, May 2, (Agencies): British cyclist Alex Dowsett broke the one hour world record on Saturday, recording 52.937km kilometres for the iconic 60minute challenge at the Manchester Velodrome.

The 26-year-old Commonwealth time trial champion rode a perfectly-controlled race to enjoy a powerful last third of the solo trial and to shatter Rohan Dennis’s three-month old mark of 52.491km.

Dowsett, who has lived in the shadow of elite British riders such as Bradley Wiggins, Mark Cavendish and Chris Froome, made it another red letter day for the booming sport in Britain as he was cheered to glory by an enthusiastic 4,000strong crowd in the velodrome where he trained in as a youngster.

It was an emotional triumph for the man who has been renowned as one of the very few haemophiliacs competing at the highest level of world sport.

Frenchman Thibaut Pinot came home alone to celebrate his first win of the season in Saturday’s fifth stage of the Tour de Romandie, that saw Russia’s Ilnur Zakarin take the yellow jersey from Michael Albasini.

Pinot took off in the final five kilometres of the mountainous 162.7 km ride from Fribourg to Champex-Lac.

He finished 7 seconds of Zakarin and 20 seconds ahead of a five-man group that included favourites two-time champion Christopher Froome and Nairo Quintana as well as fellow Frenchman Romain Bardet.

“It had been a long time since I last won, I am happy,” Pinot told Swiss channel RTS.

“In front of great riders such as Quintana and Froome, it’s a great victory.”

Zakarin, 25, benefited from an awful day for previous overall leader Albasini, who finished over 20 minutes after Pinot.

The Katusha rider won the 2013 Russian national time trial championships and was ninth in this year’s Tour of the Basque Country.

Sunday’s final stage, a 17.3km time-trial in Lausanne, will be the decider as Zakarin holds a six-second lead over Pinot.

Third-ranked Froome is also looming just 14 seconds behind while Quintana trails by 54 seconds.