ALEX Dowsett believes his ride in the Tour de France will be the hardest thing he has ever done on a bike.

Maldon-born Dowsett’s place on the Spanish Movistar team’s line-up for Le Tour was announced on Monday.

The 26-year-old will be joined by Nairo Quintana, Alejandro Valverde, Imanol Erviti, Jonathan Castroviejo, Gorka Izagirre, José Herrada, Adriano Malori and Winner Anacona, with José Luis Arrieta and Chente García Acosta as directeurs sportif.

For Dowsett this will be the first time he’s ridden the Tour although he has experience in a three-week Grand Tour as in 2013 he rode the Giro d’Italia where he won a stage.

But this year he goes into the race having had the best season of his life so far.

He broke the World Hour Record in Manchester in May, before Sir Bradley Wiggins set a new one in June, and went on to win a stage and the overall in the Bayern Rundfahrt.

Also he reclaimed the national time trial jersey at Cadwell Park last week (see page 39) in a time of one hour and 11 seconds for the 28-mile course.

In doing so he equalled Stuart Dangerfield’s all-time record of four elite men’s national time trial titles.

Dowsett said: “I know this will be the hardest thing I’ll have ever done on my bike.

“I just hope I know what I’ve let myself in for.

“I thought my chances of riding the Tour this year were gone when I didn’t finish the Dauphine earlier this month but my climbing improved when I then rode the Route de Sud.

“I was having problems losing some of the weight I put on when I was building up muscle for the Hour but in the last two weeks, after nearly giving up, it’s started coming down and I’m back to 76kg again so that’s good for me.”

The Tour opens on Saturday in Utrecht, Netherlands, with an event that is right up Dowsett’s street, a 13.8km time-trial.

Dowsett said: “I’ll go flat out for the opening TT.

“I’m expecting to have goose bumps when I set off there, down the starting ramp wearing the National Champion’s colours.

“It’s really great to be wearing those again after a year without the jersey.

“And I’ll be able to wear the jersey again in the stage nine team time trial.

“But then I’ll be riding for Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde, keeping them out of the wind and leading them into the final 10kms of each stage as they protect their GC (General Classification) positions.

“I know they were both pleased with my efforts in doing that in earlier races.

“After the first two weeks when we really hit the mountains I’ll do what I can but I think at that point all I’ll have the energy to do is to get to Paris.

“That’s what I’m really looking forward to doing, riding with my team-mates into Paris.”

The 102nd edition of the Tour de France has 21 stages and runs from July 4 to 26.