Dame Sarah Storey offered some words of advice to Alex Dowsett ahead of his Hour Record attempt at the Manchester Velodrome on Saturday, May 2.
Storey tried to break the women’s record back in February, falling just short of Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel’s mark of 46.065km, so is well qualified to tell the Essex rider exactly what to expect.
>>> Alex Dowsett in the wind tunnel as Hour Record attempt nears
And while Dowsett will not face one of the issues Storey had to deal with in the build-up to her attempt, the Movistar rider will need to factor in a whole host of other things.
“You need the Velodrome to be warm for the air pressure to be thin but you need to balance that off with getting the right hydration,” Storey told the Manchester Evening News. “One of the biggest challenges for me was getting too hot and losing too much fluid.
“But it may not have been the best thing to attempt while still breastfeeding. And that’s not something Alex needs to worry about!
“I generally cope well with the heat but you get very hot very quickly. It’s also about judging your pace, knowing you are going through some bad patches but you will rally.
“It is a bit like the marathon and the 18 miles marker when everyone hits the wall, feel like death and wants to stop.
“It is knowing and trusting your body it will come through any rough patch and still be on schedule.”
Dowsett’s Hour Record attempt will be shown live on Eurosport 2, with the effort kicking off at 1pm. Tickets are still available and can be bought through See Tickets.
