Alex Dowsett fell short of his hour record attempt in Mexico ©Getty Images

Briton Alex Dowsett failed in his attempt to retake the International Cycling Union (UCI) world hour record which he initially set in May 2015, before compatriot Sir Bradley Wiggins beat it 36 days later.

Dowsett was gunning down Belgium's Victor Campenaerts record of 55.089 kilometres.

Prior to Dowsett's attempt, Campenaerts had put Dowsett's chances at 50:50.

Clearly measuring himself early on, Dowsett was aiming to replicate 16.3sec laps of the 250m Aguascalientes Velodrome in Mexico.

He slipped to three seconds off Campanaert's pace, before beginning to push hard with around 20 minutes remaining. 

Eventually, however, the 33-year-old, who has severe haemophilia A, with this ride aiming to raise money for his charity Little Bleeders and The Haemophilia Society to combat blood-clotting disorders, fell further behind the pace, unable to maintain the 55km/hr speed required to dip below the previous record. 

Dowsett was due to attempt the hour record in 2020, but contracted COVID-19 and was forced to postpone it.

By the end of the hour, Dowsett had travelled 54.555km, falling 0.534km short - equivalent to 34.077sec - of Campanaert's record.

Last month, Britain's Joss Lowden broke the women's hour record, beating the previous record by 398m with a distance of 48.405km.