Dowsett reveals bid to reclaim UCI hour record in Mexico
Six-time British time trial champion Alex Dowsett will launch a fresh bid to reclaim the prestigious UCI Hour Record in Mexico next month.
Dowsett had planned an assault on Victor Campenaerts' record of 55.089km last December in Manchester but was forced to postpone it after contracting Covid-19.
The 33-year-old held the record for all of 36 days in the summer of 2015 before his distance of 52.937km was eclipsed by Sir Bradley Wiggins, who covered 54.526km in the Lee Valley Velopark in London, a record which stood until Campenaerts' ride in Aguascalientes, Mexico in April 2019.
"When I took the record in 2015, we rode enough to break the record but I knew I had more in the tank at the end which was frustrating given the work put in by everyone," Dowsett said. "Last year's attempt was derailed when I contracted Covid-19 but the same reasons for wanting to do it are all still there. I want to see what I'm capable of and it's an event I just really love and feel privileged to have the opportunity to take on again."
With the Manchester velodrome unavailable this year, Dowsett has chosen Aguascalientes as the venue for his own attempt on 3 November. Though the Mexican track is considered one of the fastest in the world thanks to the lower air pressure at altitude, Dowsett warned it is more complicated than it might seem.
"It's going to be a very big ask but I think I'm capable," he said. "The biggest hurdle this time with it being in Mexico will be the altitude.
"Being at altitude the power output required will be lower than at sea level because of the thin air, but it's not all plain sailing as the thin air also brings a tougher environment for breathing. We think in the end it should be more beneficial than detrimental to be at altitude."
Dowsett, who has severe haemophilia A and is the only known elite sports person with the condition to compete in an able-bodied field, will ride in support of his charity Little Bleeders and The Haemophilia Society.
Last month, British rider Joss Lowden broke the women's record by covering 48.405km in Switzerland.