Alex Dowsett on his Hour Record attempt (video)

Alex Dowsett will be the next rider to walk up on to the boards, clip himself in to his bike and set off for an hour in purgatory. The Movistar rider will make his Hour Record attempt at Manchester velodrome on Saturday May 2.

It's a track he knows well, as he explains in our exclusie video, and he has ridden thousands of laps of this track during his time with British Cycling's Olympic Academy. On May 2 however he will be alone on the track, with a target of 52.491kmh.

Rohan Dennis sets new Hour Record of 52.491km

In this video Dowsett explains why he is attempting the hour and what he is expecting from the gruelling event. Although he doesn't disclose a distance, or target, he is obviously planning to beat Rohan Dennis's record, and says he woujld like to set a distance that will stretch Sir Bradley Wiggins when he makes his attempt in London on June 6.

Dowsett had been planning an attempt earlier in the year but a crash in training resulted in a broken collarbone and a rescheduling. He has since started his road season, riding Milan-San Remo and more recently Ghent-Wevelgem, although he admitted to not being a fan of the northern classics.

Dowsett will be the fifth rider to attempt the hour this year after Jack Bobridge, Rohan Dennis, Thomas Dekker, and, most recently, Gustav Larsson. Of those, only Dennis was successful.