Alex Edward Albert Dowsett (born 3 October 1988) is a British former 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 comm ...

, who last rode 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 bicycle racing, road cycling, the UCI World Tou ...

. He was a time trial specialist, and in 2015, he broke track cycling's world

hour record The hour record is the record for the longest distance cycled in one hour on a bicycle from a stationary start. Cyclists attempt this record alone on the track without other competitors present. It is considered one of the most prestigious record ...

by , with a distance of .

Early life

The son of former

British Touring Car Championship The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), officially known as the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship for sponsorship reasons, is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by ...

driver Phil Dowsett, Dowsett was educated at Elm Green Preparatory School in

Little Baddow Little Baddow is a village to the east of Chelmsford, Essex. The name ''Baddow'' is believed to have been derived from the River Beadwan, now known as the River Chelmer, which marks the northern boundary of the village. ''Beadwan'' is thought ...

, followed by

King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford King Edward VI Grammar School, or KEGS, is a British grammar school with academy status located in the city of Chelmsford, Essex, England. It takes pupils between the ages of 11 and 18 (school years 7 to 13). For years 7 to 11 the school is boys ...

. 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, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, were an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth that was held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 201 ...

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 Danmark Rundt is a Danish multi-day professional road cycling race. It is currently sponsored by the Danish national postal agency, PostNord, and the race is therefore also known as PostNord Danmark Rundt. The race is sometimes called the Tou ...

, helping teammate

Simon Gerrans Simon Gerrans (born 16 May 1980) is an Australian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2005 and 2018, for the , , , , and squads. Post-retirement he initially worked as an athlete intern at Goldman Sachs in L ...

to overall victory. He won the fifth stage of the

Tour du Poitou-Charentes Tour Poitou-Charentes en Nouvelle-Aquitaine is a road bicycle race held annually in the former region of Poitou-Charentes (now Nouvelle-Aquitaine) France. It was first held in 1987 and since 2005 it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI E ...

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 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 th ...

. In March 2012, Dowsett broke his elbow in the

Three Days of De Panne 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...

and as a result missed the

classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

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 An individual time trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: ''contre la montre'' – literally "against the watch", in Italian: ''tappa a cronometro'' "stopwatch stage"). There are also trac ...

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, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

season for , Dowsett was selected to ride the

Giro d'Italia The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...

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

. In June, Dowsett won the

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 (), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014 (; ), were an international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Commonwealth Games as governed by the Commonwea ...

, Dowsett won gold in the

Individual Time Trial An individual time trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: ''contre la montre'' – literally "against the watch", in Italian: ''tappa a cronometro'' "stopwatch stage"). There are also trac ...

. After a long breakaway, Dowsett took the lead of the

on the sixth stage but lost it before the end of the race to

Dylan van Baarle Dylan van Baarle (born 21 May 1992) is a Dutch professional road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Biography Born in Voorburg, Van Baarle resides in Veenendaal, Netherlands. Van Baarle is the son of f ...

and finished eighth overall. His team announced that Dowsett had signed a three-year contract extension with them in September. Leading group 2015 Vattenfall Cyclassics

Leading group 2015 Vattenfall Cyclassics

In December 2014, Dowsett announced he would attempt to break the UCI Hour Record at the

Lee Valley VeloPark Lee Valley VeloPark is a cycling centre in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, London, England. It is owned and managed by Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, and it was opened to the public in March 2014. The facility was one of the pe ...

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 Manchester Velodrome is an indoor Olympic-standard cycle-racing track in Manchester, England, which opened in 1994. Part of the National Cycling Centre, the facility has been home to British Cycling since 1994, coinciding with the nation's rise ...

on 2 May 2015 where Dowsett set a new world record of , beating

Rohan Dennis Rohan Craig Dennis (born 28 May 1990) is an Australian former cyclist, who competed professionally in the track cycling, track and road bicycle racing, road disciplines of the sport for five different teams. Having been a member of the Australi ...

' previous record by almost half a kilometre. Two weeks later, Dowsett won his first ever stage race, the

Bayern Rundfahrt The International Bayern Rundfahrt () 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 organised as a 2.HC even ...

, 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 selected 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 sta ...

but was forced abandon the race halfway round due to an injury.

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 The European Road Cycling Championships (Officially:UEC Road European Championships) are the set of European championship events for the various disciplines and distances in road cycling and have been regulated by the European Cycling Union sin ...

, and ninth in the

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

at the

UCI Road World Championships The UCI Road World Championships are the annual world championships for bicycle road racing organized by the (UCI). The UCI Road World Championships consist of events for road race and individual time trial, and , a UCI Road World Championships ...

. Following this, Dowsett contested the

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 , at the time 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 has

haemophilia Haemophilia (British English), or hemophilia (American English) (), is a mostly inherited genetic disorder that impairs the body's ability to make blood clots, a process needed to stop bleeding. This results in people bleeding for a long ...

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 The Union Cycliste Internationale (; UCI; ) is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland. The UCI issues racing licenses to riders and enforces di ...

's no needles policy, introduced in 2011, to inject himself with the clotting protein

Factor VIII Coagulation factor VIII (Factor VIII, FVIII, also known as anti-hemophilic factor (AHF)) is an essential blood clotting protein. In humans, it is encoded by ''F8'' gene. Defects in this gene result in hemophilia A, an X-linked bleeding disorder ...

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 MaillotReinoUnido

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

, National Junior Road Championships : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall

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 junio ...

::1st

Mountains classification ;2006 : 1st UEC Champion Jersey

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

, National Junior Road Championships : 3rd Overall

::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 on n ...

;2008 : National Under-23 Road Championships ::1st MaillotReinoUnido

::4th Road race : 1st Prologue ( TTT)

Tour Alsace The Tour Alsace (or Tour d'Alsace) is a five-day road bicycle race held annually in Alsace, France. It was first held in 2004 and it is a 2.2 rated event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing co ...

;2009 : 1st MaillotReinoUnido

, National Under-23 Road Championships : 1st Richmond Grand Prix : 7th

, UCI Under-23 Road World Championships ;2010 : 1st UEC Champion Jersey

Time trial, UEC European Under-23 Road Championships : 1st

Chrono des Nations Chrono des Nations – Les Herbiers Vendée is a single-day individual time trial road bicycle race held annually in October in Les Herbiers, Vendée, France. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. It was origi ...

Espoirs : 1st Stage 5

Cascade Cycling Classic The Cascade Cycling Classic was the longest running elite road bicycle racing stage race in the United States (1980–2019), with 2018 being the only year the race was not held. The race was held again in 2019, but then canceled due to Covid in 20 ...

: 2nd

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

: 8th

Tour of the Battenkill The Tour of the Battenkill was a single-day road cycling race held in the Battenkill valley, in Washington County, New York Washington County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 61,302. The ...

;2011 : 1st MaillotReinoUnido

, National Road Championships : 1st

: 1st Stage 8a (

ITT ITT may refer to: Communication *Tank phone, 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 typ ...

)

: 2nd Overall

::1st Stage 5 : 3rd

: 5th Overall

: 6th Overall

Ster ZLM Toer The ZLM Tour is a cycling race held over five stages, held in the southern Netherlands and Belgium as a 2.Pro race on the UCI ProSeries The UCI ProSeries is the second tier men's elite road bicycle racer, road cycling tour. It was inaugurat ...

;2012 : National Road Championships ::1st MaillotReinoUnido

::2nd Road race : 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 (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive wi ...

(with

Luke Rowe Luke Rowe (born 10 March 1990) is a British former racing cyclist from Wales, who rode professionally for and its later iterations between 2012 and 2024. Largely deployed as a domestique during his professional career, Rowe took two wins – st ...

) : 8th

;2013 : 1st MaillotReinoUnido

, National Road Championships : 1st Stage 8 (

)

: 2nd

;2014 : 1st Gold medal blank

: 1st Stage 3 (

)

Circuit de la Sarthe The Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans, also known as Circuit de la Sarthe (after the 1906 French Grand Prix triangle circuit) located in Le Mans, Sarthe, France, is a semi-permanent motorsport race course, chiefly known as the venue for the 24 H ...

: 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

, National Road Championships : 7th Overall

: 8th Overall

;2015 :

Hour record The hour record is the record for the longest distance cycled in one hour on a bicycle from a stationary start. Cyclists attempt this record alone on the track without other competitors present. It is considered one of the most prestigious record ...

52.937 km : 1st MaillotReinoUnido

, National Road Championships : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall

::1st Stage 4 (

) : 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 ...

;2016 : 1st MaillotReinoUnido

, National Road Championships : 1st Stage 7 (

)

Tour de Pologne The Tour de Pologne (; ), officially abbreviated TdP, is an annual, professional men's Race stage, multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race primarily held in Poland. It consists of seven or eight stages and is usually around 1,200 km ...

;2017 : 1st Stage 2b (

)

: 2nd

, National Road Championships : 10th Overall

Dubai Tour The Dubai Tour was an annual professional road bicycle racing race stage, stage race held in Dubai, which began in 2014 as part of the UCI Asia Tour. It merged with the Abu Dhabi Tour to become the UAE Tour from 2019. History The race was classif ...

;2018 : 3rd

, National Road Championships : 5th Time trial,

UEC European Road Championships UEC may refer to: Organisations * Uganda Electoral Commission, the electoral commission of Uganda * Union Election Commission, the electoral commission of Myanmar * University of Electro-Communications, a university based in Chofu city, Tokyo, Japa ...

;2019 : National Road Championships ::1st MaillotReinoUnido

::4th Road race : 5th

: 5th Time trial,

: 10th Overall ZLM Tour ;2020 : 1st Stage 8

: 4th Time trial,

: 9th

;2021 : 1st Stage 1b ( TTT)

Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali The Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e 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 Italy. History Between 1999 and 2000 it was cal ...

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

Championship results timeline

References

External links