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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Russell Downing |
| Born | (1978-08-23)23 August 1978 (age 46) Rotherham, England |
| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft7+1⁄2 in) |
| Weight | 64 kg (141 lb)[1] |
| Team information | |
| Current team | Retired |
| Disciplines |
|
| Role | Rider |
| Rider type | Sprinter |
| Amateur teams | |
| 1998 | Brite Voice |
| 2000 | Miche Pena |
| 2001 | UVCA Troyes |
| 2019 | Giordana Cycling |
| Professional teams | |
| 1999–2001 | Linda McCartney On Tour |
| 2002 | iTeamNova.com |
| 2003 | Time Life Repair |
| 2004–2005 | Recycling.co.uk–MG X-Power |
| 2006 | Driving Force Logistics |
| 2007 | Health Net–Maxxis |
| 2008 | Pinarello Racing Team |
| 2009 | CandiTV–Marshalls Pasta |
| 2010–2011 | Team Sky |
| 2012 | Endura Racing |
| 2013 | NetApp–Endura |
| 2014 | NFTO |
| 2015 | Cult Energy Pro Cycling |
| 2016–2017 | JLT–Condor |
| 2018 | Holdsworth |
| Major wins | |
Stage races
| |
Russell Downing (born 23 August 1978) is an English former professional cyclist, who rode competitively between 1999 and 2019 for numerous teams, such asTeam Sky andJLT–Condor. He is the younger brother of fellow cyclistDean Downing, and both brothers competed largely on theUCI Continental Tour and in BritishPremier Calendar races.
Downing was born into a bike racing family: as well as his older brother, his father was also a bicycle racer. He was also a talented football player, playing withRotherham United F.C.'s under-16s team, but Downing was convinced to become a professional cyclist byMilk Race winnerChris Walker, who Downing trained with during his late teens.[2]
He was the winner of theBritish National Road Race Championships in 2005.[3]
In addition to his national championships, he was also successful in some multi-stage races. His biggest victories came in the 2010Tour de Wallonie, a2.HC class event, as well as the2009 Tour of Ireland.[4]
For 2010 he signed a one-year contract with the new British Professional Team,Team Sky, and became the first Briton to win a stage for the team, picking up a win in theCritérium International. His contract was renewed for a further year, for the 2011 season. In November 2011 it was announced that his contract was not being renewed for a third year and he would join the British Continental TeamEndura Racing.[5] Following the merger of Endura with Team NetApp Downing joined theNetApp–Endura squad for 2013.[6] In September 2013 it was announced that Russell and Dean Downing would join the newNFTO team for 2014.[7] Russell Downing signed for theCult Energy Pro Cycling team for the 2015 season,[8] but returned to Britain withJLT–Condor for the 2016 season.[9]
Points classification
Road race, National Road Championships Points classification
OverallTour of Ireland Points classification OverallTour de Wallonie Points classificationNational Criterium ChampionshipsTeam pursuitPoints raceMadison (withDean Downing)
Team pursuit,UCI Track World Cup,Sydney