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Alex Edward Albert Dowsett (born 3 October 1988) is a former British professional
road racing cyclist Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most common ...
, who rode for UCI WorldTeam . He was a time trial specialist, and in 2015, he broke track cycling's world hour record by , with a distance of .


Early life

The son of former British Touring Car Championship driver
Phil Dowsett Philip Colin Dowsett (born 4 March 1951) is a British retired motor racing driver. He initially competed in Formula Ford, Formula Three and Formula Atlantic in the 1970s, finishing as runner-up in the 1979 and 1980 National Formula Atlantic Cham ...
, Dowsett was educated at
Elm Green Preparatory School Elm Green Preparatory School is a day school which takes boys and girls from 4 to 11. Many pupils move on at 11 to local grammar schools, others to day independent or maintained schools, with a few taking up places at boarding schools. The Head ...
in Little Baddow, followed by King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford. He initially took up swimming as a sport, swimming up to five days a week, before starting cycling on a mountain bike along with his father.Robinson, J. (2020, February). Alex Dowsett Profile. There Will be Blood: Alex Dowsett is a former Hour record holder, Grand Tour stage winner and seven-time British time-trial champion. He's also a haemophiliac-something that makes his place in the professional peloton unique. ''Cyclist:The Thrill of the Ride'', (96), 66–71.


Career


Early career

Dowsett began his career at the Maldon and District Cycling Club in the City of Chelmsford. His talent was soon recognised and Dowsett became part of the British Olympic Academy development team. He won the under-23 version of the British Time Trial Championships in 2008 and 2009. In 2010, he rode for American team and won the under-23 European time trial championship. He also won a silver medal in the Time Trial at the
2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, f ...
.


Team Sky (2011–12)

Dowsett signed for British-based as a neo-pro for the 2011 season. His first victory for Sky came in the
London Nocturne The London Nocturne (formerly the Smithfield Nocturne) was a cycling race in London, United Kingdom, organised as a criterium around a long course in the City of London. It was first run in 2007 for men and in 2009 for women, and took place as ...
event. Dowsett finished fifth overall in the Danmark Rundt, helping teammate Simon Gerrans to overall victory. He won the fifth stage of the Tour du Poitou-Charentes to finish second overall. In September, he won the
British National Time Trial Championships The British National Time Trial Championships for cycling are held annually. The winners of each event are awarded with a symbolic white cycling jersey featuring blue and red stripes, which can be worn by the rider at other time trial events in ...
. Dowsett won the Stage 8a time trial of the Tour of Britain. In March 2012, Dowsett suffered a broken elbow in the Three Days of De Panne and as a result missed the
classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
season. Dowsett recovered to finish second in the National Road Race Championships, and later retained his National Time Trial Championships title. Later in September, Dowsett competed at the UCI World Road Race Championships in all three men's elite events, with a best placing of eighth in the individual time trial.


Movistar Team (2013–17)

On 30 October 2012, Dowsett signed with the Spanish for the 2013 season hoping to gain a ride at a Grand Tour. After competing in the
Classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
season for , Dowsett was selected to ride the Giro d'Italia, his first Grand Tour appearance. Dowsett helped take second place in the
team time trial A team time trial (TTT) is a road bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock (see individual time trial for a more detailed description of ITT events). The winning team in a TTT is determined by the comparing the times of ( ...
on stage two. On stage eight, a individual time trial, Dowsett set the fastest time to record his biggest career victory to date, setting a time ten seconds faster than the second placed Bradley Wiggins. In June, Dowsett won the
British National Time Trial Championships The British National Time Trial Championships for cycling are held annually. The winners of each event are awarded with a symbolic white cycling jersey featuring blue and red stripes, which can be worn by the rider at other time trial events in ...
for the third year in a row despite crashing early on in the course. In May 2014 Dowsett set a new British 10-mile time trial record in Cambridgeshire, clocking in at 17 minutes 20 seconds and beating Michael Hutchinson's previous record by 25 seconds. Competing for England at the
2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games ( gd, Geamannan a' Cho-fhlaitheis 2014), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014, ( sco, Glesca 2014 or Glesga 2014; gd, Glaschu 2014), was an international multi-sport ev ...
, Dowsett won gold in the Individual Time Trial. After a long breakaway, Dowsett took the lead of the Tour of Britain on the sixth stage but lost it before the end of the race to Dylan van Baarle and finished eighth overall. His team announced that Dowsett had signed a three-year contract extension with them in September. In December 2014, Dowsett announced he would attempt to break the UCI Hour Record at the Lee Valley VeloPark on 27 February 2015. However, he was forced to postpone the attempt after breaking his collarbone in a training accident. The attempt instead took place at the Manchester Velodrome on 2 May 2015 where Dowsett set a new world record of , beating Rohan Dennis' previous record by almost half a kilometre. Two weeks later, Dowsett won his first ever stage race, the
Bayern–Rundfahrt The International Bayern Rundfahrt ( en, Tour of Bavaria) was a stage race cycling race held each year in Bavaria, Germany, between 1980 and 2015. The race was held as an amateur race between 1980 and 1988, and from 2005 to 2015, the race was orga ...
, where he claimed the overall victory a day after winning the Stage 4 individual time-trial. In June 2015 Dowsett clinched his fourth national time trial title. He was named in the start list for the
2015 Tour de France The 2015 Tour de France was the 102nd edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The -long race consisted of 21 stages, starting on 4 July in Utrecht, the Netherlands, and concluding on 26 July with the Champs-Élysées stage ...
.


Team Katusha–Alpecin (2018–19)

In August 2017, it was announced that Dowsett would join for the 2018 season. Following the last minute break up of the team in 2019, he initially thought he would rest from professional cycling in 2020 and return to his local Maldon club, to focus on the Olympics and regaining the hour record.


Israel Start-Up Nation (2020–22)

Instead of his initial sabbatical from professional cycling, Dowsett was part of the merger with , which became the new team for 2020. He placed fourth in the time trial at the European Road Championships, and ninth in the time trial at the UCI Road World Championships. Following this, Dowsett contested the Giro d'Italia and won the eighth stage from a six-rider breakaway, soloing to victory from remaining. In November, he extended his contract with for a further two years. Michael Hutchinson coaches Dowsett. In 2021, Dowsett attempted the UCI Hour Record, and completed a distance of , the third furthest in the modern history of the Hour Record. In August 2022, Dowsett announced that he would be retiring from professional cycling at the end of the season.


Personal life

Dowsett suffers from haemophilia and wears a necklace, detailing his medical needs, when out riding. Speaking on ITV's ''Cycle Show'' in July 2013, Dowsett cited this medical condition as being a key factor in his choosing competitive cycling in his youth, above other sports, because contact games such as football and rugby were considered too risky. His mother inserted knee and shoulder pads into his school uniform and he wore special trainers. He is believed to be the only able-bodied elite sportsman or woman with the condition. As a result, he has a special exemption from the Union Cycliste Internationale's no needles policy, introduced in 2011, to inject himself with the clotting protein Factor VIII every 48 hours. Dowsett started the charitable foundation Little Bleeders to raise awareness of haemophilia and to encourage and support young haemophiliacs to engage with sport. He also has his own YouTube channel, where he documents his life as a professional cyclist.


Major results

Source: ;2005 : 1st Time trial, National Junior Road Championships : 1st Overall Junior Tour of Wales ::1st Mountains classification ;2006 : 1st Team pursuit, UEC European Junior Track Championships : 1st Time trial, National Junior Road Championships : 3rd Overall Junior Tour of Wales ::1st Mountains classification ;2007 : 6th
Rutland–Melton CiCLE Classic The Rutland–Melton International CiCLE Classic is a road bicycle race that starts in Oakham and finishes in Melton Mowbray. The 2008 version was 158 km long. The race is characterised by its off-road sections and short, sharp climbs o ...
;2008 : National Under-23 Road Championships ::1st Time trial ::4th Road race : 1st Prologue ( TTT) Tour Alsace ;2009 : 1st Time trial, National Under-23 Road Championships : 1st Richmond Grand Prix : 7th Time trial, UCI Under-23 Road World Championships ;2010 : 1st Time trial, UEC European Under-23 Road Championships : 1st Chrono des Nations Espoirs : 1st Stage 5 Cascade Cycling Classic : 2nd Time trial, Commonwealth Games : 8th Tour of the Battenkill ;2011 : 1st Time trial, National Road Championships : 1st
London Nocturne The London Nocturne (formerly the Smithfield Nocturne) was a cycling race in London, United Kingdom, organised as a criterium around a long course in the City of London. It was first run in 2007 for men and in 2009 for women, and took place as ...
: 1st Stage 8a (
ITT ITT may refer to: Communication * Infantry-Tank Telephone, a device allowing infantrymen to speak to the occupants of armoured vehicles. Mathematics *Intuitionistic type theory, other name of Martin-Löf Type Theory *Intensional type theory B ...
) Tour of Britain : 2nd Overall Tour du Poitou-Charentes ::1st Stage 5 : 3rd Chrono des Nations : 5th Overall Danmark Rundt : 6th Overall Ster ZLM Toer ;2012 : National Road Championships ::1st Time trial ::2nd Road race : 2nd Duo Normand (with Luke Rowe) : 8th Time trial, UCI Road World Championships ;2013 : 1st Time trial, National Road Championships : 1st Stage 8 (
ITT ITT may refer to: Communication * Infantry-Tank Telephone, a device allowing infantrymen to speak to the occupants of armoured vehicles. Mathematics *Intuitionistic type theory, other name of Martin-Löf Type Theory *Intensional type theory B ...
) Giro d'Italia : 2nd
London Nocturne The London Nocturne (formerly the Smithfield Nocturne) was a cycling race in London, United Kingdom, organised as a criterium around a long course in the City of London. It was first run in 2007 for men and in 2009 for women, and took place as ...
;2014 : 1st Time trial, Commonwealth Games : 1st Stage 3 (
ITT ITT may refer to: Communication * Infantry-Tank Telephone, a device allowing infantrymen to speak to the occupants of armoured vehicles. Mathematics *Intuitionistic type theory, other name of Martin-Löf Type Theory *Intensional type theory B ...
) Circuit de la Sarthe : 2nd Madison,
National Track Championships National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...
(with Joe Holt) : 3rd Time trial, National Road Championships : 7th Overall Tour du Poitou-Charentes : 8th Overall Tour of Britain ;2015 : World Hour record: 52.937 km : 1st Time trial, National Road Championships : 1st Overall
Bayern–Rundfahrt The International Bayern Rundfahrt ( en, Tour of Bavaria) was a stage race cycling race held each year in Bavaria, Germany, between 1980 and 2015. The race was held as an amateur race between 1980 and 1988, and from 2005 to 2015, the race was orga ...
::1st Stage 4 (
ITT ITT may refer to: Communication * Infantry-Tank Telephone, a device allowing infantrymen to speak to the occupants of armoured vehicles. Mathematics *Intuitionistic type theory, other name of Martin-Löf Type Theory *Intensional type theory B ...
) : 3rd
Team time trial A team time trial (TTT) is a road bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock (see individual time trial for a more detailed description of ITT events). The winning team in a TTT is determined by the comparing the times of ( ...
, UCI Road World Championships ;2016 : 1st Time trial, National Road Championships : 1st Stage 7 (
ITT ITT may refer to: Communication * Infantry-Tank Telephone, a device allowing infantrymen to speak to the occupants of armoured vehicles. Mathematics *Intuitionistic type theory, other name of Martin-Löf Type Theory *Intensional type theory B ...
) Tour de Pologne ;2017 : 1st Stage 2b (
ITT ITT may refer to: Communication * Infantry-Tank Telephone, a device allowing infantrymen to speak to the occupants of armoured vehicles. Mathematics *Intuitionistic type theory, other name of Martin-Löf Type Theory *Intensional type theory B ...
) Circuit de la Sarthe : 2nd Time trial, National Road Championships : 10th Overall Dubai Tour ;2018 : 3rd Time trial, National Road Championships : 5th Time trial, UEC European Road Championships ;2019 : National Road Championships ::1st Time trial ::4th Road race : 5th Time trial, UCI Road World Championships : 5th Time trial, UEC European Road Championships : 10th Overall ZLM Tour ;2020 : 1st Stage 8 Giro d'Italia : 4th Time trial, UEC European Road Championships : 9th Time trial, UCI Road World Championships ;2021 : 1st Stage 1b ( TTT) Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali


Grand Tour general classification results timeline


Championship results timeline


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dowsett, Alex 1988 births Living people British Giro d'Italia stage winners Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England Cyclists at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Cyclists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games British male cyclists English male cyclists People educated at Elm Green Preparatory School People educated at King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford People from Maldon, Essex People with haemophilia Commonwealth Games medallists in cycling Sportspeople from Essex 21st-century British people