Luke Rowe (born 10 March 1990) is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

racing cyclist Cycle sport is Competition, competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing ...

, who rides for

UCI WorldTeam A UCI WorldTeam (2015–present), previously UCI ProTeam (2005–2014), is the term used by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to name a cycling team of the highest category in professional road cycling, the UCI World Tour or UCI ProTour ...

Biography

Born in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

, Rowe began racing at a young age, initially riding with his parents on a

tandem Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. The original use of the term in English was in ''tandem harness'', which is used for two ...

. He began to enjoy cycling and became a member of the Maindy Flyers, based at

Maindy Centre Maindy Centre ( cy, Canolfan Maendy, formerly known as Maindy Stadium, now also known as Maindy Pool and Cycle Track) is a velodrome and indoor swimming pool facility in the Maindy area of Cardiff, Wales. The velodrome was used in the 1958 Britis ...

. As a junior, he was a member of

British Cycling British Cycling (formerly the British Cycling Federation) is the main national governing body for cycle sport in Great Britain. It administers most competitive cycling in Great Britain, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It represents Bri ...

's Olympic Development Programme, His father, Courtney Rowe, coaches the Paralympian Simon Richardson, while his brother Matthew Rowe and his sister-in-law

Dani Rowe Danielle 'Dani' Rowe Order of the British Empire, MBE (née King; born 21 November 1990) is a British former Road bicycle racing, road and track cyclist. She retired from cycling in December 2018. A Cycling at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Women ...

also competed professionally.

Track career

Rowe made his European debut as a member of the team pursuit squad who took the gold medal at the

2007 UEC European Track Championships The 2007 European Track Championships were the European Championships for track cycling, for junior and under 23 riders. They took place in Cottbus, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central ...

. He finished second in the 2008 European Road Race Championships, and won the Madison, along with

Mark Christian Mark Peter Christian (born 20 November 1990) is a Isle of Man, Manx former racing cyclist, who last rode for UCI ProSeries, UCI ProTeam . A former member of the Great Britain Olympic Development Program, Christian won a bronze medal for the Isl ...

, and the silver in the team pursuit at the 2008 European Track Championships.

Team Sky (2012–)

Rowe joined for the 2012 season as a neo-pro, having signed a two-year deal. He took his first professional victory in September 2012 by winning the opening stage of the

Tour of Britain The Tour of Britain is a multi-stage cycling race, conducted on British roads, in which participants race across Great Britain to complete the race in the fastest time. The event dates back to the first British stage races held just after the S ...

. Rowe made his Grand Tour debut at the 2013 Vuelta a España. Rowe represented

Wales at the Commonwealth Games Wales is one of six countries to have competed in every Commonwealth Games since 1930, the others being Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand and Scotland. At the Commonwealth Games, Wales takes part as a separate entity, as in the Six Nations R ...

in Glasgow, 2014, and finished sixth in the road race, which was won by teammate

Geraint Thomas Geraint Howell Thomas, (; born 25 May 1986) is a Welsh professional racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam , Wales and Great Britain. He is one of the few riders in the modern era to achieve significant elite success as both a tra ...

. Rowe rode the

2014 Vuelta a España The 2014 Vuelta a España took place between 23 August and 14 September 2014 and was the 69th edition of the race. It featured eight mountain stages, five hill stages, five flat stages, and three time trials (one team and two individual), two of ...

, and helped

Chris Froome Christopher Clive Froome ɹɪs fɹuːm (born 20 May 1985) is a Kenyan/British Road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He has won seven Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours: four editions of the Tour de ...

to finish second overall. Rowe enjoyed a strong start to the 2015 season with fourth place at the

Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race The Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race also known as Great Ocean Road Race or Cadel Road Race is an annual professional one-day road bicycle racing for both men and women starting and finishing in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, and routed along th ...

and seventh overall at the

Tour of Qatar The Tour of Qatar was an annual professional cycling stage race held in Qatar. First organized in 2002, the event was part of the UCI Asia Tour until 2016. The 2017 edition was to have seen the event upgraded to the UCI World Tour for the firs ...

. Rowe then had a breakthrough classics campaign, placing ninth in

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, previously Omloop Het Volk, is a one-day road cycling race in Belgium, held annually in late February. It is the opening event of the Belgian cycling season, as well as the first race of the year in Northwestern Europe, and ...

(which was won by teammate

Ian Stannard Ian Dexter Stannard (born 25 May 1987) is a British former professional track and road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2008 and 2020 for the , and teams, before retiring after being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. He now wo ...

, thirteenth in

E3 Harelbeke E3 Saxo Bank Classic, previously known as E3 BinckBank Classic, E3 Harelbeke, Harelbeke–Antwerp–Harelbeke and E3-Prijs Vlaanderen, is an annual road cycling race in Flanders, Belgium. The race starts and finishes in Harelbeke, covering 203 kil ...

(won by teammate Geraint Thomas) and an impressive eighth in

Paris–Roubaix Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional bicycle road race in northern France, starting north of Paris and finishing in Roubaix, at the border with Belgium. It is one of cycling's oldest races, and is one of the 'Monuments' or classics of the ...

, ahead of

Bradley Wiggins Sir Bradley Marc Wiggins, CBE (born 28 April 1980) is a British former professional road and track racing cyclist, who competed professionally between 2001 and 2016. He began his cycling career on the track, but later made the transition to r ...

(18th) who was riding his final race for Sky. He was selected in Sky's team for the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

, becoming the third Welsh rider to compete in the Tour after

Colin Lewis Colin Lewis (27 July 1942 – 4 March 2022) was a British racing cyclist. He started racing at 19 and rode the Milk Race in 1960, finishing 7th. Cycling career Lewis represented Britain in the Tour de l'Avenir and the world championships at ...

and Geraint Thomas. By finishing in 167th place in the

2017 Tour de France The 2017 Tour de France was the 104th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours. The 21-race stage, stage race took place across , commencing with an individual time trial in Düsseldorf, Germany on 1 July ...

, Rowe earned the unofficial "

lanterne rouge The ''lanterne rouge'' is the competitor in last place in the Tour de France. The phrase comes from the French for "Red Lantern" and refers to the red lantern hung on the rear vehicle of a passenger railway train or the brake van of a freight tr ...

", a recognition reserved for the last rider to finish. In August 2017, Rowe fractured the tibia and fibula in his right leg, when he jumped into shallow water while whitewater rafting at his brother's stag party in Prague. Having feared he would be unlikely to race for up to a year, Rowe returned to racing earlier than expected, in late February at the 2018 Abu Dhabi Tour, having originally planned to return for the

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

. In February 2020, Rowe signed a new contract with , extending his contract with the team until the end of the 2023 season.

Major results

;2007 : 1st UEC Champion Jersey

Team pursuit, UEC European Junior Track Championships : 1st MaillotReinoUnido

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

(with

Adam Blythe Adam Michael Blythe (born 1 October 1989) is an English former professional road and track racing cyclist, who competed professionally between 2010 and 2019 for the , , , , and teams. Blythe began racing at a young age and went on to become a ...

), National Track Championships : 1st Jersey green

Points classification,

Junior Tour of Wales The Junior Tour of Wales is an annual cycle race for junior male riders, held around Brynmawr, Blaenau Gwent, Wales. First held in 1981, the race is the final round of the British Cycling Junior Road Series – and as such attracts the best jun ...

;2008 : UEC European Junior Track Championships ::1st UEC Champion Jersey

Madison (with

) ::2nd

Team pursuit : 1st MaillotReinoUnido

Derny A Derny is a motorized bicycle for motor-paced cycling events such as during six-day and Keirin racing and motor-paced road races. Some riders train behind a derny on the road. The Derny is so-called as it was originally produced by the Frenc ...

, National Track Championships : 2nd Silver medal europe

Road race, UEC European Junior Road Championships ;2009 : 1st ZLM Tour : 2nd

(with

), National Track Championships : 6th Coppa Colli Briantei Internazionale ;2010 : 1st MaillotReinoUnido

(with

), National Track Championships : 1st

Gran Premio di Poggiana The Gran Premio Sportivi di Poggiana is a professional one day cycling race held annually in Poggiana, Italy. It has been part of the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introd ...

: 3rd

Gran Premio Industrie del Marmo The Gran Premio Industrie del Marmo is a professional one day cycling race held annually in Italy. It is part of UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the Un ...

: 4th

Gran Premio Palio del Recioto The Gran Premio Palio del Recioto is a professional one day cycling race held annually in Italy. It is part of UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the Unio ...

: 5th

Ronde Van Vlaanderen Beloften Ronde Van Vlaanderen Beloften ( en, Tour of Flanders U23) is a Flanders Classics road bicycle race. It is the version of the Tour of Flanders for under-23 riders and is usually contested a week after the Ronde van Vlaanderen. Ludovic Capelle is t ...

: 6th Overall

Tour de Berlin The Tour de Berlin was a road bicycle race held annually between 1953 and 2016 in Germany. From 2007 to its demise, the race was organised as a 2.2U event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing com ...

: 8th Trofeo Franco Balestra Memorial Metelli : 9th Road race,

;2011 : 1st MaillotReinoUnido

(with

Peter Kennaugh Peter Robert Kennaugh MBE (born 15 June 1989) is a Manx former professional racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2010 and 2019 for and . In 2012 he won the gold medal as part of the Great Britain Team Pursuit team at the 2012 Summ ...

), National Track Championships : 1st ZLM Tour : 1st Stage 7

Thüringen Rundfahrt der U23 Thüringen Rundfahrt der U23 was a bicycle road race held annually in the German state of Thuringia. It was a stage race reserved to athletes under the age of 23. Since 2005, it was organized as a 2.2U event on the UCI Europe Tour. After the 201 ...

: 5th Overall

Tour de Normandie Tour de Normandie is a road bicycle race held annually in the region of Normandy, France. The race started in 1939, but was not held in the periods of 1940–1955 and 1960–1980. It was originally a race for amateurs, but was opened for professi ...

: 8th

La Côte Picarde La Côte Picarde was a professional cycling race held between 1986 and 2015 in Picardy, France. It was held as part of the UCI Europe Tour from 2005 onwards, in category 1.ncup, meaning it was part of the UCI Under 23 Nations' Cup The UCI Under ...

: 9th Overall

Olympia's Tour The Olympia's Tour is a cycling stage race held in the Netherlands. History A.S.C. Olympia was founded in Amsterdam on 27 November 1898. It ran one-day races but wanted a race through all the Netherlands. The first Olympia's Tour was in 1909, w ...

;2012 : 1st Stage 1

: Revolution Series, Round 3,

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

::1st Australian pursuit ::1st Scratch : 2nd

Duo Normand The Duo Normand is a two-man team time trial (against the clock) for elite racing cyclists. Held annually at Marigny-le-Lozon in Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of '' ...

(with

Alex Dowsett Alex Edward Albert Dowsett (born 3 October 1988) is a former British professional road racing cyclist, 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 ...

) ;2013 : National Road Championships ::5th Road race ::5th

Time trial In many racing sports, an athlete (or occasionally a team of athletes) will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. The format of a time trial can vary, but usually follow a format where each athlete or team sets off at ...

: 9th Overall

;2014 : National Road Championships ::4th Road race ::4th

: 6th Road race,

;2015 : 1st Stage 1 ( TTT)

Tour de Romandie The Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI World Tour. It runs through the Romandie region, or French-speaking part of Switzerland. The competition began in 1947, to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Swiss Cycling. I ...

: 4th Road race, National Road Championships : 4th

: 7th Overall

: 8th

: 9th

;2016 : 4th

: 5th

Tour of Flanders The Tour of Flanders ( nl, Ronde van Vlaanderen), also known as ''De Ronde'' (''"The Tour"''), is an annual road cycling race held in Belgium every spring. The most important cycling race in Flanders, it is part of the UCI World Tour and organi ...

;2017 : 1st Stage 2

Herald Sun Tour The Herald Sun Tour is an Australian professional bicycle race held in Melbourne and provincial Victoria, sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The first tour was held in October 1952 as a six-day event. It is now held annually ...

: 3rd

Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne is an annual single-day road cycling race in Belgium. It is held one day after Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, on the last Sunday of February or the first of March, and completes the opening weekend of the Belgian cycling season ...

: 5th

: 6th

;2018 : 1st Stage 3 ( TTT)

Critérium du Dauphiné The Critérium du Dauphiné, before 2010 known as the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, is an annual cycling road race in the Dauphiné region in the southeast of France. The race is run over eight days during the first half of June. It is part ...

: 1st Stage 1b ( TTT)

Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali The Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali ( en, International Week of Coppi and Bartali), also known as Coppi e Bartali, is an Italian cycle road race. It is run typically in late March over five days in the Emilia-Romagna region of Ital ...

;2019 : 6th

Dwars door Vlaanderen Dwars door Vlaanderen ''( en, Across Flanders)'' is a semi-classic road bicycle race in Belgium, held annually since 1945. The race starts in Roeselare and finishes in Waregem, both in West Flanders. Since 2017 the event is included in the UCI ...

: 6th

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

Classics results timeline

References

External links

*
Luke Rowe profile
at Team Sky * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rowe, Luke 1990 births Living people British male cyclists Welsh male cyclists Sportspeople from Cardiff Cyclists at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Cyclists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games competitors for Wales