Alex Dowsett's hour record attempt postponed due to broken collarbone sustained in training crash
Thursday 22 January 2015 18:19, UK
Alex Dowsett has been forced to postpone his attempt at the hour record due to the broken collarbone he sustained in a training crash last week.
The 26-year-old Englishman, who rides for Movistar, was due to attack the prestigious record at London’s Lee Valley VeloPark on February 27.
He fractured his right collarbone in a fall during a road ride last Tuesday and underwent surgery on Thursday, but he has not recovered sufficiently enough in the past week to press ahead with the attempt.
A Movistar team statement said that “attempting the record would have been a risky decision, compromising the rest of the season for Alex and putting extra pressure on his recovery”.
Dowsett said: “I'm really gutted this has happened. I have never worked harder for anything and to make this difficult decision with the team and lose this opportunity is a real blow. The positive is that it is a record attempt, so we will be attempting it at a later date.”
'Recover properly'
Dowsett had labelled his attempt as the “Perfect Hour” and intended to use it to raise awareness of haemophilia, a rare blood disorder from which he suffers.
He added: “I would like to thank everyone that's supported me with words of encouragement both in training pre-crash and words of support and well wishes post-crash, it really was overwhelming.
“I will now recover properly and be back to full fitness for the road season and another crack at the ‘Perfect Hour’.”
No date has yet been set for Dowsett's re-scheduled attempt.
Movistar's statement said: "Once Alex is fully recovered, all the parties will re-evaluate the UCI Hour Record process to begin again, in order to find the most suitable date."
