Great Britain’s Alex Dowsett insists he won’t just be riding for himself when he attempts to break The Hour Record at the Olympic Velodrome in February.
The 26-year-old, who suffers from haemophilia, will mount his challenge at the Revolution event on February 27, held at Lee Valley VeloPark.
But as well as hoping for a world record, Dowsett wants to prove to those affected by rare diseases that anything is possible.
The current record stands at 51.852km, set by Austria’s Matthias Brandle in October, although it may be extended by Australia’s Jack Bobridge and Rohan Dennis who both will make their own attempts before Dowsett.
But the Movistar rider admits the years and years of being told what his condition might restrict him from doing have only made him train harder for the event.
"Everyone understands a world record, so I wanted my next target to be The Hour Record,” he said.
"The Hour is something I've always been interested in; the simplicity of it, mostly: no tactics, no hiding, just you and the bike.
"Now I've got a new sense of drive as I know that the more success I can achieve, the more hope it will give everyone in the whole rare disease community.
"We spend our childhoods being told what we can't do, so I'm going for the record for anyone that gets told that they can't do something and goes out to prove themselves otherwise.
“I'm training a hell of a lot harder because of it."
© Sportsbeat 2014