Downing finally gets his crack at the big time

A year ago you would have been forgiven for not knowing who Russell Downing was. Fast-forward twelve months and the man from Rotherham is knocking on the door of world cycling with Team Sky backing him all the way.

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Heralded as one of Britain’s most successful domestic road cyclists Downing has put in the hard miles both on the courses and in his career to earn a place on the David Brailsford funded team, a feat which he feels is richly deserved.

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“I’ve wanted to be a big-time tour pro since I was a kid. I’ve been working hard, winning races and raced in smaller teams which I hoped would be stepping stones to being a big time pro.

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“You keep working away and then finally I got the contract with Team Sky after winning the Tour of Ireland, which seems like a lifetime ago. Now I’m in the pro ranks and trying to make a mark on that. It really is a dream come true.”

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It’s been a long time coming for Downing. At 32 years of age he’s no spring chicken, but the desire to test himself on the biggest stages in world cycling is the reward he so richly deserves.

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Despite being so successful on the domestic circuit, Downing has always found himself missing out. After making steady progress for two years, he thought his time had finally come in 2007, when the opportunity arose to sign for the American-based Health Net team. However, visa issues stopped him from testing himself on foreign soil and he remained in the UK.

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Vindication came in the form of victory in the 2009 season, after winning the aforementioned Tour of Ireland, a victory which narrowly eluded him a year before. It was this success which propelled him into Team Sky, something he believes is recognition for years of grafting.

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“When I signed I was still really nervous and was thinking ‘right I haven’t made it yet, I still need to prove myself’. I needed to prove that it wasn’t just a fluke [getting into Team Sky].

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“This last year I had jobs to do. I had people to work for and then the odd few times I had results to make for myself. I pulled off a few victories and I think that proved to people that I can do most things. It proved that I can win for myself and I can win for other people.”

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In his maiden year with Team Sky he proved what he could do, being the first Briton to win a stage for the team at the Critérium International and then winning the Tour de Wallonie, his biggest win to date. For Downing though, it is just all about developing further and proving himself to be worthy of a place in the team.

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“To win in Wallonie was quite a good feeling after doing jobs for other people. The guys’ faith being put in me to win in Wallonie shows that I can win and help out.

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“It was good to win at that sort of time, especially because negotiations were taking place for the year after and that signed and sealed my place on the team for this year.”

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Downing has been compared to a fine wine, due to his improvement with age and it appears as though the Yorkshire-man will finally get his crack at a grand tour when he races at the Giro d’Italia later this year. Although he has rode long stages, the Giro will be a different challenge altogether and one which Downing is relishing in order to realize his dream.

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“It’s going to be my first grand tour and it’s going to be exciting and tiring, but it’s what I’ve always dreamed of.

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“I’ve dreamed about the Tour de France and the Giros. To ride a grand tour is the pinnacle of cycling. Obviously the Tour de France is what normal people know. They know about the yellow jersey and all that.

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“It’s quite surprising come July, how many people show an interest in it. You can go down the pub and hear people say ‘do you think so and so is going to keep the yellow jersey?’ To be a part of one of those grand tours is amazing and who knows what can happen in the next few years.”

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The man nicknamed ‘Fonzy’ may well look to the future, but he has quite a way to go if he is going to surpass ex-teammate Malcolm Elliot who is still going strong at the age of 49. For now though, he is realizing his dream and for the boy who has become a ‘big tour pro’ the best is yet to come.

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“If you’d said that two or three years ago I would have said ‘I’m not sure’, but every year seems to get better and better for me. Last year I had some really great victories with Sky, so hopefully I can keep going until I’ve had enough which won’t be for a while yet.

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“Being pro is all I’ve ever wanted to do and now I’m here I want to stay for a few years. It’s going to be a long old road but as long as I keep enjoying it, who knows how long I can go on for.”

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