First News – Dowsett to go for Perfect Hour

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Commonwealth Games champion against the watch Alex Dowsett is to go for the Perfect Hour in London

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First News – Dowsett to go for Perfect Hour

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Giro stage winner and a multiple British time trial champion who added the Commonwealth Games title to his palmeres, Alex Dowsett, is aiming to take on the Hour record on February 27th at London’s Indoor Olympic velodrome.

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Alex racing the London Track League as part of his preparation

The rider who wore the Yellow jersey in the Tour of Britain in 2014, has announced today his intention to break the UCI Hour Record which will see several attempts in the coming months so the current distance may well be very different when Dowsett goes for his attempt on February 27.

First to go is expected to be the Individual Pursuit record holder from Australia, Jack Bobridge on January 31st followed a week later on February 8 by another Aussie, Rohan Dennis. The place chosen for Dowsett’s attempt will be London’s Lee Valley VeloPark velodrome, venue of the 2012 Olympic Games and one of the fastest at sea level, with three world records having been beaten on its 250-metre, Siberian pine track.

“Things like the Commonwealth Games, the Olympics, the Tour de France and world championships hit home with the general public, but I truly had my eyes opened during my offseason this year when I travelled around Europe with the Miles for Haemophilia campaign,” explains Dowsett about his driving force towards the record attempt, the Movistar Team’s biggest goal during the beginning of the imminent 2015 season.

“The campaign was simple: just to raise awareness and promote a healthy and active lifestyle within the Haemophilia community. What I realised quite quickly though was the impact my story was having. As a young haemophiliac, things were tough, even more so for my family than I. There was only a predicted gloomy outcome, talk of wheelchairs, crutches, joints fused in place or replaced, a far cry from the Alex you see before now.

“On these trips I saw my story was spreading hope: their boy or girl could in fact lead an ordinary life. So I thought: what more can I do to bring a positive outlook on the future to them, alongside my own personal career ambitions? Everyone understands a world record, so I wanted my next target to be the hour record. The Hour is something I’ve always been interested in; the simplicity of it, mostly: no tactics, no hiding, just you and the bike”.

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“Now I’ve got a new sense of drive as I know that the more success I can achieve, the more hope it will give everyone in the whole rare disease community. We spend our childhoods being told what we can’t do, so I’m going for the record for anyone that gets told what they can’t do something and goes out to prove themselves otherwise. I’m training a hell of a lot harder because of it.”

After a season on the road, in time trials and road races, Dowsett has switched to the track and is reported to have had special track time on the London boards paid for by his team as well as racing the local track league to get that leg speed back. For Eusebio Unzué, Dowsett’s attempt means “looking back to what Miguel Indurain’s hour record meant to all of us, 20 years ago.”

“Back then, it wasn’t really usual to pursue such a record, of all goals you could go after, and there weren’t many riders who dared to take such challenge, either. After some attempts prior to ours, Miguel relied on his chances to beat the mark, we got our hands into it and, after many weeks of hard work, the day came – and it was really emotional: the velodrome in Bordeaux, full of people, the TV cameras showing it live… it was really different from what we were used to. I always remember that day as one of the hardest for Miguel: I found it completely broken, out of energy after such a hard attempt in conditions he wasn’t accustomed to at all”.

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“Alex’s attempt reflects the globalization of cycling and the internationalization of our team. Taking the chance with a British rider, at the Olympic velodrome in London, and adding that social drive, with Alex taking such efforts to support those ones with rare diseases, himself being an ambassador of Haemophilia… I already find this attempt perfect and positive for everyone, all circumstances put together”.

“On the other hand, without our partners, especially Canyon and Endura, we would have hardly made it to the start line. The marks that two track riders, big time triallists, like Bobridge and Rohan Dennis will set will make it really difficult for us, but I hope this will become a further drive for Alex to tackle it.”

More later …

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