Alex Dowsett sets out his 'dream' of breaking Chris Boardman's 'Superman' Hour Record

Movistar rider confident that he can beat Wiggins's record from 2015

Alex Dowsett has set his sights on Chris Boardman's "Superman" Hour Record

(Image credit: Ellis/Watson)

Alex Dowsett says that his "dream scenario" would be to break Bradley Wiggins's Hour Record this year, before aiming to top Chris Boardman's mark set using the stretched out "Superman" position in 1996.

Dowsett is planning another attempt at the Hour Record in the second half of the year, looking to retake the record that he lost to Wiggins in June 2015.

The Movistar rider is confident that he can break Wiggins's 54.526km mark, having ridden within himself when setting a record of 52.937km in May 2015, before turning his attention to riding further than the Boardman's 56.375km set using the since-outlawed Superman position.

>>> The Hour Record: An interactive timeline

"We knew from the last record that the numbers stacked up," Dowsett explained, saying that his average power when breaking the record was 358 watts, while he could have been capable of averaging 400-420 watts.

"If I’d ridden at my threshold then Wiggins might not have beaten my record. But given my time again I’d still have done exactly the same thing.

"For me it’s very frustrating. That day I stuck to the plan and did what I should have done, but not what I could do. And when you put months of work in and don’t go out and show what you’re truly capable of, it’s frustrating. But the problem with the Hour is that you always run the risk of fading and slowing down."

Watch: Alex Dowsett's 2015 Hour Record bike

No date has yet been set for Dowsett's record attempt, and although the Movistar rider is keen to stress that planning is still in the early stages, he is also not making any secret of his long term goals with the record.

"In my mind a dream scenario would be that if it all goes to plan and I beat Wiggins’s record then to go for the Superman position and tricked out bike, and go for Boardman’s ultimate record. But that’s a long way off, and is only in the back of my mind."

Aside from different pacing, Dowsett says that there are a number of thing that he will be doing differently for his upcoming attempt.

>>> Alex Dowsett to focus on the road for UCI Hour Record attempt

"I was in the wind tunnel the other week doing a bit of positional stuff and I learned a lot from Wiggins’s position. He’s much more stretched out than I was and we saw some improvements when I followed that.

"And last time I was getting up at 5am to get to the track for 8am because we couldn’t get any sessions other than that. I was only getting 40 minutes of riding in and then I was nailed for the rest of the day with training.

"But when I got on the track for a bit of testing after the World Championships after not having ridden the track for ages, I was on the money straight away. So that showed that I can get away with doing a lot less in the velodrome, but then when I do do track, it should be a lot more concentrated and no silly one hour sessions."

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Henry Robertshaw began his time at Cycling Weekly working with the tech team, writing reviews, buying guides and appearing in videos advising on how to dress for the seasons. He later moved over to the news team, where his work focused on the professional peloton as well as legislation and provision for cycling. He's since moved his career in a new direction, with a role at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.