Double British time trial champion Alex Dowsett is leaving Team Sky after two years with the team, signing a contract to compete with the Movistar squad in 2013. The Essex rider has a clear time trial ability and will be an important addition in advance of team time trials in the Tour de France and world championships and, at 24 years of age, will also continue to develop in an individual capacity for many more seasons.
“This isn’t a decision I have taken lightly, SKY is a fantastic team and I was flattered that they wanted me to stay,” he stated. “But I have a new opportunity and a new chapter of my career. I would like to thank everybody at ‘Team SKY’ who have supported me over the last couple of years. I now look forward to an exciting 2013 with Movistar.”
Dowsett won the European TT championships in 2010 and also took a Commonwealth Games silver medal behind David Millar in the same year. The following season he won the time trial in the Tour of Britain, but has also clocking up results away from the race against the clock.
Last season he took second overall in the Tour de Poitou Charentes and top six overall finishes in the Tour of Denmark and the Ster ZLM Toer, while this year he was runner-up in the British road race championships.
It is understood that the deal was worked out several weeks ago. A Sky team representative has confirmed to VeloNation that the move has ‘absolutely nothing’ to do with the internal review currently ongoing at the British squad.
At this point in time it is not clear what racing programme Dowsett will have next season, but the details will be worked out at the team training camps this winter.