Alex Dowsett: British cyclist attempts to regain hour record in Mexico

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Dowsett is a friend of Chris Froome, Israel Start Up Nation.

Hour record attempt Venue, Aguascalientes Velodrome in Mexico Date: Wednesday 3 November Coverage: Live on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport app, and BBC Sport app starting at 21:45 GMT. Red Button starts at 21:55

Alex Dowsett, a Briton, says he feels privileged as he tries to beat the Mexican hour record for cycling in Mexico.

Dowsett (33 years old) held the record for one month in 2015. Sir Bradley Wiggins, a Briton, had already broken his record.

The Israel Start-Up Nation rider, Victor Campenaerts of Belgium, will attempt to beat the current record 55.089km on 3 November.

After contracting Covid-19, Dowsett delayed a Manchester effort in December 2020.

Dowsett, a time trial specialist and World Tour pro, will attempt to break the record at altitude in Velodromo Bicentenario, Aguascalientes. This Velodromo Bicentenario has hosted many men's and woman's attempts, including Campenaerts current mark in 2019.

"Last year, my attempt was thwarted when I contracted Covid-19. But the same reasons are still there for wanting to do it. Dowsett stated, "I want to see what my capabilities are and it's something I love and feel privileged that I have the chance to do again."

Victor has set a very high standard in terms of difficulty. Although it's going be a huge task, I believe I can do it. It will be difficult because it is in Mexico.

"Being at altitude will require a lower power output than at sea level due to the thin air. But it's not all plain sailing, as the thin atmosphere also creates a more difficult environment for breathing. It should be beneficial rather than harmful to be at altitude, according to our view.

Former Team Sky and Movistar rider, he just completed his second season with Israel Start-Up Nation. He helped his team win the time trial at the Settimana Coppii e Bartali before completing his campaign at CRO Tour.

As the hour record becomes more important, Dowsett's attempt is a welcome one. Joss Lowden of Britain broke the women's record in September with a distance 48.405km in Switzerland. Dan Bigham broke Wiggins national record with 54.723km.

Filippo Ganna, the Italian Olympic gold medallist and world champion in time trials, is reportedly considering an external-link crack for his record.

What is the hour record for?

It is simply a test of your ability to cycle for one hour.

Since 1972, it has been held by Francesco Moser and Eddy Merckx.

The UCI, which is cycling's governing body established two versions of the record in order to account for the growing gap between modern bikes.

They created the UCI "hour record" in 1997. Riders must compete on specific machinery that has some restrictions and with the best human effort.

Dowsett will be competing in the hour-record version. Chris Boardman, Britain's 1992 Olympic gold medallist, holds the best human effort record at 56.375 km set in 1996.