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Dowsett Sets Hour Record

dowsett_hour_recordGB’s Alex Dowsett has broken the UCI Hour Record, reaching 52.937km as the hour mark passed. The Movistar rider finally got his attempt underway, after postponement due to injury, at the Manchester Velodrome. The move to the ‘fast’ National Cycling Centre’s track paid off, as Dowsett completed over 211 laps inside the time limit.

 

The 26-year-old Commonwealth Time Trial champion became the fourth person to break the record in the last eight months and beat current holder Rohan Dennis’s mark by over 400 metres.

 

Dowsett, sat behind Dennis’s record schedule for most of the ride and was nine seconds down at one point, subsequently revealed that his plan was to be riding in deficit and have ‘enough in the tank’ for the final ten minutes. While Dennis faded towards the end of his record run, Dowsett continued his charge to the end.

 

Dowsett said immediately after his ride, ‘I was expecting it to be horrific, but it was just terrible.’ He has already confirmed that he may make another attempt at the record sometime after June 7, the date pencilled in for a Bradley Wiggins shot at what is becoming an essential gong for the world’s top cyclists.

 

Watch highlights of Dowsett’s record on BBC Sport here.

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Joanna Rowsell and Alex Dowsett TT Champions

Joanna RowsellJoanna Rowsell has won the women’s elite National Time Trial title in Stewarton, East Ayshire, Scotland, her first elite national title in TT event. She completed the 35.2km course in 49’25”, beating Lizzie Armitstead into second (+32) and Katie Colclough to third (+1’37”); Sisters Emma and Laura Trott took fourth and fifth spot respectively. Roswell, who partnered Laura Trott and Dani King in Team Pursuit Gold at last year’s Olympic’s commented on her success yesterday, saying, ‘I am over the moon and can’t wait to race in the jersey for the coming year.’

 

Later in the day, on the longer 49.2km men’s course, Alex Dowsett took his third-consecutive British Time Trial title despite a fall in which he injured his hand and elbow. Regardless, the Movistar rider finished in a time of 1hr 2’30”, 21 seconds up on both second-placed Matt Bottrill and third’s Ben Swift. Dowsett’s victory betters the two championship titles won by Bradley Wiggins.

 

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Martin Retains Time Trials Crown

Changeable weather conditions at the World Championship in the Netherlands, with heavy rain pre-race and intermediate showers throughout, made for tough cycling today at the Men’s Time Trials. The 45.7km course, including a wet and unforgiving cobbled opener and treacherous patched roads that claimed Italian Macro Pinotti as a casualty, was ultimately the scene of victory for reigning champion Tony Martin in a time of 58:38.76. America’s Taylor Phinney was desperately unlucky not to win, taking the silver down on a mere 5.37second margin, whilst Belarus’s Vasil Kiryienka took the bronze.

 

With Chris Froome having withdrawn ahead of the event to recover fully from success at the Tour de France, Vuelta and Olympics ahead of Sunday’s Road Race, only Alex Dowsett was left to represent Britain. A valiant ride rewarded him with a well-deserved eighth place, one up on pre-race favourite Alberto Contador.

 

Yesterday GB’s Emma Pooley – the 2010 World Champion – narrowly missed out on bronze in the Women’s Time Trial, finishing nine seconds off a podium place in an event won by Germany’s Judith Arndt. Arndt, the defending champion who is set to retire this month, took top spot by an impressive 33.77seconds over silver-placed Evelyn Stevens (USA) and 40.57seconds ahead of New Zealand’s Linda Melanie Villumsen in bronze. GB’s Wendy Houvenaghel finished a crushingly disappointing 14th, some 2minutes 17.5seconds behind Arndt.

 

Image © Wouter Roosenboom

 

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Sky Nationals Line-up Announced

Alex Dowsett, Jeremy Hunt, Luke Rowe, Ian Stannard and Ben Swift have been confirmed by Team Sky as their riders competing at the 2012 British National Road Race Championships which takes place on June 25 in Ampleforth, North Yorkshire. Stannard will be looking to match or better his two previous top-five finishes whilst veteran Hunt will be looking for his third white jersey to add to those from 1997 and 2001. Neither 2010 winner Geraint Thomas nor reigning champion Bradley Wiggins will attend, concentrating instead on both TdF and Olympic preparations.

 

Race coach Rod Ellingworth comments, ‘It’s an honour to wear the national colours and if a Team Sky rider can make it three wins from three, it’ll be a massive achievement.’ Adding, in reference to the star riders not attending, ‘In an ideal world we’d have our full British contingent competing, but with the Tour de France and Olympics now very much on the horizon, it simply isn’t possible. Bradley, Chris (Froome) and Mark (Cavendish) are all fine-tuning their condition ahead of a busy summer on the road, while Pete and Geraint are now mid-way through a crucial block of Olympic track training.’