British Cycling was 'too involved' in Sir Bradley Wiggins record

Sir Bradley Wiggins broke the iconic hour record by completing a distance of 54.526km (33.88 miles)

British Cycling was "too involved" in Sir Bradley Wiggins' hour record bid, says a coach of fellow Briton Alex Dowsett, the man whose record he beat.

Steve Collins alleged the governing body helped design parts of Wiggins' bike, which he felt was "not allowed".

Asked if he thought British Cycling preferred one rider to another, Collins told BBC Essex: "Oh yes, completely."

But a British Cycling (BC) spokesperson said Dowsett "had technical and operational support from BC personnel".

Wiggins, 35, completed a distance of 54.526km (33.88 miles) at Lee Valley VeloPark in London on Sunday, smashing Dowsett's mark of 52.937km (32.89 miles) that had been set in May.

Essex-born Dowsett, 26, completed his record-breaking attempt at the National Cycling Centre in Manchester, the home of British Cycling, in May.

The spokesperson added: "Sir Bradley Wiggins was helped by members of the Great Britain Cycling Team coaching staff with whom he is working in his bid to earn a place in the team pursuit squad for Rio 2016.

Commonwealth time-trial champion Dowsett covered 52.937km in 60 minutes at the Manchester Velodrome in May

"All at British Cycling are extremely proud that British riders have broken successive records in one of cycling's most iconic challenges, something which we believe reflects the current strength of cycling in Britain."

Collins, who was part of Dowsett's hour record trackside team, said he believed Wiggins' custom-made bike was breaking the rules and was upset that there were members of British Cycling trackside for his attempt.

"One of the sad bits about it was that Bradley's bike wasn't in production," he said.

"He also had the help of British Cycling which, well, is not allowed. It was a bit strange to see British Cycling, like [coach] Shane Sutton, getting so involved last night when he doesn't work for Team Wiggins, I'm not sure how that's allowed."

He added: "For attempts like that it should all be production available so you can buy it off the shelf. You can't get 3D-printed handlebars moulded to your own arms to make it easier for your own attempt."

A spokesperson from Wiggins' management company said: "Brad's bike was approved by the UCI [cycling's world governing body]."