Alex Dowsett: A bike racer’s view

The two-time Giro d’Italia stage winner raced for Israel-Premier Tech at the end of his 12-year pro career and has competed in five men’s stage races in the Middle East.

The Tour of Qatar was “brutal,” Dowsett says. The crosswinds whipping over the desert dunes sometimes led to cyclists racing in echelons. “If you were dropped, you were still going to have one of the hardest days on a bike you’ve ever had, because every group was going full tilt to catch the one in front.”

The UAE Tour? Not so much. “Often, it’s ridiculously easy until five kilometres to go, when all hell breaks loose. So at the UAE Tour, you know you’re going to lose a bit of form. You’d have a harder week at home training,” he says.

Dowsett has been to the Sylvan Adams

Velodrome in Tel Aviv, seen it packed with youngsters and can see the game of catch-up being played.

The Essex man recognises his own comparative privilege. He was raised in a British Cycling system from the age of 14, which introduced him to all kinds of cycling disciplines. “If we try and put the politics aside, this is providing a platform for everyone to access a sport that they couldn’t do before in a safe environment,” he says.

As for ethics? Professional athletes have no say in where events are held and have to be pragmatic. “Human rights never made me question whether I was going to a race or not,” Dowsett says. “Because I never had the luxury of being good enough to make that a stipulation. I don’t know many riders that could. At the end of the day as a bike racer, you want to sign your next contract and continue being a bike racer.”