Alex Dowsett facts for kids
Dowsett in 2019
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alex Edward Albert Dowsett | ||
| Nickname | The Tiger | ||
| Born | 3 October 1988 Maldon, Essex, England |
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| Height | 1.82 m | ||
| Weight | 73 kg | ||
| Team information | |||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Rider type | Time trialist | ||
| Major wins | |||
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Alex Edward Albert Dowsett (born 3 October 1988) is a British former professional road racing cyclist. He was known for being a time trial specialist. In 2015, he broke the world hour record in track cycling. He rode a distance of 52.937 kilometres (32.894 miles), which was 446 metres (1,463 feet) further than the previous record.
Contents
About Alex Dowsett
Early Life and Sports
Alex Dowsett was born in Maldon, England. His father, Phil Dowsett, was a racing car driver. Alex went to Elm Green Preparatory School and then King Edward VI Grammar School.
He first loved swimming and swam almost every day. Later, he started cycling with his dad on a mountain bike. This is how he found his passion for cycling.
Starting His Cycling Career
Alex began his cycling journey at the Maldon and District Cycling Club. People quickly noticed his talent. He joined the British Olympic Academy development team.
He won the British Time Trial Championships for riders under 23 in 2008 and 2009. In 2010, he rode for an American team. He won the under-23 European time trial championship that year. He also earned a silver medal in the Time Trial at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Riding for Team Sky
In 2011, Alex joined the British team, Team Sky. His first win for them was at the London Nocturne event. He finished fifth overall in the Danmark Rundt race. He also helped his teammate, Simon Gerrans, win that race.
Alex won the fifth stage of the Tour du Poitou-Charentes. This helped him finish second overall in that race. In September, he won the British National Time Trial Championships. He also won a stage in the Tour of Britain.
In March 2012, Alex broke his elbow. This meant he missed some important races. But he recovered well. He finished second in the National Road Race Championships. He also won his National Time Trial Championships title again. Later that year, he competed in the UCI World Road Race Championships. He finished eighth in the individual time trial.
Joining Movistar Team
On October 30, 2012, Alex signed with the Spanish Movistar Team. He hoped to race in a Grand Tour, which are major multi-stage cycling races. He was chosen to ride in the 2013 Giro d'Italia. This was his first Grand Tour.
Alex helped his team get second place in the team time trial on stage two. On stage eight, he won the individual time trial. This was a huge victory for him. He was ten seconds faster than Bradley Wiggins, a famous cyclist. In June, Alex won the British National Time Trial Championships for the third year in a row.
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In May 2014, Alex set a new British record for a 10-mile time trial. He finished in 17 minutes and 20 seconds. This beat the old record by 25 seconds. At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Alex won a gold medal in the Individual Time Trial for England.
He led the Tour of Britain for a while in 2014. But he lost the lead near the end and finished eighth overall. His team announced that he would stay with them for three more years.
In December 2014, Alex planned to try and break the UCI Hour Record. This is a challenge to cycle the furthest distance in one hour. He had to delay his attempt because he broke his collarbone. He finally made the attempt on May 2, 2015. He set a new world record of 52.937 kilometres (32.894 miles). This was almost half a kilometer further than the old record.
Two weeks later, Alex won his first stage race, the Bayern Rundfahrt. He won the overall race after winning an individual time trial stage. In June 2015, he won his fourth national time trial title. He started the 2015 Tour de France but had to leave due to an injury.
Later Career and Retirement
In 2018, Alex joined Team Katusha–Alpecin. After that team changed, he joined Israel Start-Up Nation in 2020. He continued to perform well in time trials. He placed fourth at the European Road Championships and ninth at the UCI Road World Championships.
In the 2020 Giro d'Italia, Alex won stage eight. He rode alone for the last 18 kilometres (11 miles) to victory. In 2021, he tried to break the UCI Hour Record again. He rode 54.555 kilometres (33.899 miles). This was the third furthest distance in the modern history of the Hour Record at that time.
In August 2022, Alex Dowsett announced that he would retire from professional cycling at the end of the season.
Personal Life and Haemophilia
Alex Dowsett has a medical condition called haemophilia. This means his blood does not clot properly. He wears a special necklace when he rides. It has details about his medical needs.
He chose cycling because contact sports like football were too risky for him. His mother even put pads in his school uniform to protect him. Alex is believed to be the only top athlete with this condition. He has special permission to inject himself with a clotting protein every 48 hours. This helps his blood clot.
Alex started a charity called Little Bleeders. It helps raise awareness about haemophilia. It also encourages young people with haemophilia to get involved in sports. He also shares his life as a professional cyclist on his own YouTube channel.
Major Achievements
Alex Dowsett had many important wins during his career:
- Hour Record: He set a new world record in 2015, cycling 52.937 kilometres (32.894 miles) in one hour.
- Giro d'Italia: He won two individual stages in this major race (in 2013 and 2020).
- British National Time Trial Championships: He won this title six times (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019).
- Commonwealth Games: He won a gold medal in the time trial in 2014 and a silver medal in 2010.
- European Road Championships: He won a gold medal in the Under-23 time trial in 2010.
- Bayern Rundfahrt: He won the overall race in 2015.
Images for kids
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Dowsett in 2019
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Dowsett at the 2011 Tour of Britain
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Dowsett at the 2014 Tour of Britain
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Dowsett (centre) in the leading group of the 2015 Vattenfall Cyclassics
See also
In Spanish: Alex Dowsett para niños
