Commonwealth Games time-trial champion Alex Dowsett admits he will have more than personal glory in his mind when he attempts to break the hour world record at London’s Olympic Velodrome next year.
The 26-year-old has announced his intention to challenge the record, which currently stands at 51.852km set by Austria’s Matthias Brandle in October, during the Revolution Series track cycling event on February 27.
The hour record, the blue riband event for track cycling, has seen an increase in attention in 2014 after the world governing body Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) changed its rules about the use of aerodynamic equipment.
Both a road and track racer, Dowsett demonstrated his talent on the former this summer when he won the men’s time trial event at Glasgow 2014, in the process upgrading on the silver he won four years previous.
He has now declared his intention for more success on the track when he bids for the record in 2015 although Dowsett, who suffers from haemophilia, insists raising awareness of the condition is just as important.
"The hour is something I've always been interested in; the simplicity of it, mostly: no tactics, no hiding, just you and the bike," said Dowsett.
"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."
© Sportsbeat 2014