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Alex Dowsett has reflected on a cycling career that began with a childhood crash and included Giro d’Italia stage wins, the 2015 Hour Record and life with haemophilia. Now retired from the WorldTour and working as a performance engineer for XDS Astana, he discussed the experiences and setbacks that shaped his time in the sport in an interview with Cycling Weekly.
Alex Dowsett has looked back on a career that took him from a childhood bicycle crash to Giro d’Italia stage wins and the 2015 Hour Record, in an interview published by Cycling Weekly. The retired WorldTour rider, who now works as a performance engineer for XDS Astana, also discussed managing haemophilia and the injuries and disappointments that shaped his career.
Dowsett recalled that his earliest cycling memory was receiving a bicycle for his birthday, crashing twice and ending up in hospital during or after the party. His next early experience was no easier: when his father took him up Danbury Hill, Dowsett said he vomited at the top. He described those first encounters as a relationship with cycling built around suffering uphill.
He said the sport began to feel like a possible career when he finished second in a 10-mile time trial at age 14. By the time he was taking A-levels, he said, his ambition was to reach the Great Britain under-23 squad rather than go to university. Dowsett later rode for Team Sky, won Giro d’Italia stages in 2013 and 2020, and set the Hour Record in 2015.
Dowsett said his 2020 Giro stage win came at a difficult point: he did not have a contract for the following season, and he and his wife were expecting a baby. He also recalled a 2011 ankle problem linked to joint damage he had sustained as a child. Treatment at the Royal London Hospital, rehabilitation and strength and conditioning work helped him return to racing, he said.
The setbacks behind Dowsett’s results
Dowsett’s account adds detail to the physical and personal pressures behind a professional career often represented by results alone. He said that competing with haemophilia was not something he initially saw as an obstacle to elite sport, but that an ankle problem stemming from childhood joint damage later made him question whether his career might end.
His recollections also describe how the meaning of a win can depend on circumstances. He singled out the 2020 Giro stage victory partly because of the uncertainty he faced over a contract, and said unexpected wins often stay with him more strongly than victories for which he was the favourite. His experience offers readers a firsthand account of the demands and career uncertainty facing professional cyclists, without making his circumstances representative of every rider.
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From junior time trials to WorldTour
Dowsett said his second-place finish in the George Herbert Stancer 10-mile time trial at 14 helped him recognise his potential. He also recalled being inspired by records and awards associated with Chris Boardman, and by stories about Boardman and Graeme Obree’s technological advances in cycling.
His career included the under-23 European time trial title in 2010, which he said he won eight weeks after breaking his shoulder blade, and the 2015 Hour Record. He attempted the record again in 2021, covering 54.555 kilometres. Dowsett said he was frustrated afterward because he felt he had not fully used the effort available to him. He also said that attempt raised money for haemophilia charities.
Dowsett is now retired from the WorldTour and works as a performance engineer at XDS Astana, according to the interview. He described modern cycling as offering young riders more pathways and advised choosing a racing country suited to a rider’s strengths, citing Italy for climbers and Belgium or the Netherlands for riders who are less suited to climbing or are sprinters.
“My very earliest memory is getting a bike for a birthday, crashing it twice and ending up in hospital during or after my own party.”
— Alex Dowsett, speaking to Cycling Weekly
Details the interview leaves open
The supplied interview does not specify its publication date or give further details about Dowsett’s current duties at XDS Astana. It also does not provide medical information beyond his account of haemophilia, childhood joint damage and treatment for his ankle problem, so no broader conclusions about his health or medical management can be drawn.
Dowsett expressed a desire to return to the Hour Record after his 2021 attempt, but the material does not say whether he plans another attempt or has set a date. It also does not detail the amount raised for haemophilia charities.
No new attempt announced
The interview is a retrospective account, and the supplied material does not announce a new race, Hour Record attempt or career move. Dowsett’s confirmed role is as a performance engineer for XDS Astana; no further details about his responsibilities or future plans are provided.
His remarks leave open whether he will revisit the Hour Record. Until Dowsett or his team announces a plan, a return to the event remains an expressed desire rather than a confirmed development.
Key Questions
What was Alex Dowsett’s earliest cycling memory?
He told Cycling Weekly that he received a bicycle for his birthday, crashed twice and ended up in hospital during or after the party.
What are some of Dowsett’s career achievements?
Dowsett won Giro d’Italia stages in 2013 and 2020, set the Hour Record in 2015 and won the under-23 European time trial title in 2010.
What did Dowsett say about racing with haemophilia?
He said haemophilia did not initially make him doubt that elite sport was possible. He later questioned whether his career might end after an ankle problem linked to childhood joint damage, but said treatment and rehabilitation helped him continue.
What is Alex Dowsett doing now?
According to Cycling Weekly’s interview, Dowsett has retired from the WorldTour and works as a performance engineer for XDS Astana.
Has Dowsett announced another Hour Record attempt?
No new attempt is announced in the supplied interview material. Dowsett said he wanted to see what he could do after feeling frustrated by his 2021 effort, but no date or plan is given.
Source: cyclingweekly.com
