Russell Downing (Endura Racing) believes the course on which the 2012 national road race championships will be held next month is similar to the one on which he won the title seven years ago.
The former Team Sky rider, who yesterday beat his former employers and several other WorldTour teams to win the final stage of the Tour of Norway, is planning a ‘nice’ ride on the 182km race on June 24.
His victory at the Tour of Norway came after Britain’s two top teams went head-to-head in the closing five kilometres, with victory going to the lower tier UCI Continental squad.
“We knew what we needed to do,” Downing told RCUK.
“Sky took it up, but we were just to the right of their train for the last five km which was great. I knew that we needed to attack the Sky train into the last corner.
“I didn’t want to have to come off them in the sprint, I wanted to jump them in the sprint.”
He praised the efforts of lead out man Zak Dempster, who lead Downing through the closing corners before the Yorkshireman made his move.
“I lead out with 250 metres to go and won the sprint dead easy and Zak slipped in behind and still got fourth, so it was a great day,” said Downing.
He will now ride two one day races in Estonia, before heading to the Route du Sud, a stage race won in recent years by Ireland’s Daniel Martin and the French hero of last year’s Tour de France, Thomas Voeckler.
Seven days later, Downing will contest the national road race championships, a title he will be vying to win for a second time.
“It’s on a similar circuit to the won on which I won in 2005 so hopefully it will all be good,” he said.
Downing was the highest profile of a number a key closed season signings for the Scottish-based Endura Racing squad, whose ambitious manager, Brian Smith, has targeted victory in the Tour of Britain this September.
UCI Europe Tour series leader, Jon Tiernan Locke, British Cycling Academy graduate, Erick Rowsell, and Ian Wilkinson are among those who have tasted victory this season.
Downing praised the selfless attitude of the team and said he wasn’t surprised by the level of success achieved this season.
“Individually, we’ve all won bike races, and when we’re together we’re all capable of winning bike races. It’s a great team. There’s no one who thinks they shouldn’t give their result up for someone else, which is sometimes what you have to do.
“If you get in the break, and that break stays away you have a chance of winning, but if that break is brought back, we have another couple of guys to finish the day off.
“Yesterday, we had Paul Vos up the road all day; the day before that, we had Zak Dempster up the road all day. There’s strength in depth.
“Even with the WorldTour teams, we’re not just a little Continental team who turns up and doesn’t do anything. We’re always on the attack, and we’re always there for the finishes. It’s a great team,” he said.
