Video: Downing recalls his battle to finish the Giro d'Italia
Team Sky rider proud to finish his first grand tour
Russell Downing (Team Sky) overcame illness, crashes and one of the hardest Giro d'Italia routes for years to finish the first grand tour of his career.
The Yorkshire man told Cyclingnews about his highs and lows of the corsa rosa; how he helped young teammate Davide Appollonio in the sprints; tried hard to win the stage to San Pellegrino Terme, crashed 20 metres into the trees but got back on his bike and survived the final mountain stage so he could ride into Milan and finish the Giro.
He was battered and bruised but proud of his achievement.
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Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.