Alex Dowsett was crowned U23 individual time trial champion at the European Championships in Ankara, Turkey on Friday. The British native betters his impressive resume after he finished seventh place in the U23 time trial at the 2009 World Championships.
The 22-year-old rider finished the 25.9-kilometer course in 31:08, 0:14 ahead of second place rider Geoffrey Soupe (FRA). The race is Dowsett’s first major competition since crashing and breaking his scapula at the Olympias Tour in Holland last May.
“This is everything I’ve been working for for the last seven weeks,” Dowsett told Cycling Weekly. “It was pretty hot, but it was similar to a British TT course, really rolling. At times we had three lanes of motorway to play with.”
“I went flat out, the heat got to me a bit so I had to back off at times as I felt I was over cooking it,” he continued.
Next up, Dowsett returns to the United States on Sunday to compete with his Trek-LIVESTRONG teammates at Cascades Cycling Classic in Bend, Oregon.
Alex Dowsett