Dowsett backing himself in time trial
BySportsbeat
Updated 24/09/2013 at 18:25 GMT
Sir Bradley Wiggins may be the second favourite for time trial gold at the Road World Championships in Tuscany but Alex Dowsett insists he shouldn't be written off himself.
Britain's Alex Dowsett (Reuters)
Image credit: Reuters
Wiggins and Dowsett are the two Brits chosen for the time trial in Italy with Germany's defending champion Tony Martin being placed as the man to beat by the bookies.
He did however lose out to Wiggins, who arrived in Tuscany having just won the Tour of Britain title, in the Olympic time trial in London last summer, settling for silver.
For Dowsett the time trial will test recent concerns over his wellbeing, the 24-year-old, who suffers from haemophilia, was ill in the build up to the Tour of Britain.
Dowsett remains confident though and admits only after he has completed the 57km course will he know if his positive mindset was truthful or misleading.
"The only thing that constitutes a success is a win," said Dowsett. "Whether that's realistic or not remains to be seen.
"If I finish and feel that I've got everything out and given everything that I've got then I've got to be satisfied with any result.
"That's the beauty of a time trial, it's just you and the clock."
Dowsett had been set to ride in Sunday's team time trial for Movistar but British Cycling performance director Sir Dave Brailsford changed his mind during the Tour of Britain.
The move enabled Dowsett to ride the final few days in Britain, including Sunday's final stage through central London, before enjoying a short rest prior to the time trial.
"Originally the plan was for me to go for the team time trial at the World Championships but then the boss reassessed the situation," added Dowsett.
"It was a shame not to be contributing to the team time trial because it's a discipline that we've shown time and time again that we are competitive in.
"But, to be honest, I think for me personally the best scenario would be to have a couple of days rest so I can come good."
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