Alex Dowsett came into the 2013 Giro d’Italia as a Grand Tour novice having left Team Sky over the winter owing to a lack of opportunities.
When he signed for Movistar at the end of 2012 the transfer raised eyebrows, not least with Dowsett’s own family, but just over a week into his Grand Tour debut the Essex rider had notched up the biggest win of his career after he beat Bradley Wiggins in the long stage 8 Saltara time trial.
Wiggins came into the Giro as the reigning Tour de France champion and the Team Sky leader had clear ambitions on winning a second major stage race. The 54.8km time trial was supposed to act as Wiggins’ launchpad for the maglia rosa but it was Dowsett who came away with a famous win after Wiggins suffered a mechanical and failed to bring himself back on terms with the young Dowsett.
In this inCycle video, Dowsett talks about his win and what it meant for his career.
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