Dowsett to make Grand Tour debut at 2013 Giro d'Italia

Dowsett to make Grand Tour debut at 2013 Giro d'Italia

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Great Britain’s Alex Dowsett will make his Grand Tour debut in the 2013 Giro d’Italia after being named in the Movistar Team.

The British time-trial champion, who signed from Team Sky, is the only Briton in the team’s nine-man roster, joined by Spaniards José Herrada, Beñat Intxausti, Pablo Lastras, Fran Ventoso and 2011 Vuelta a España overall winner Juanjo Cobo, plus Russia's Vladimir Karpets and Italians Eros Capecchi and Giovanni Visconti.

The 96th edition of the Corsa Rosa features two individual time trials and one team trial to test 24-year-old Dowsett in addition to supporting team leaders Beñat Intxausti and Juanjo Cobo.

Stage two’s team time-trial covers 17.4-kilometres between Ischia and Forio, with the individual time trials featuring at stage eight’s 55-kilometres from Gabicce Mare to Saltara and stage 18’s 19.4-kilometres from Mori to Polsa.

Dowsett, a British Cycling Olympic Podium Programme rider who has won the British Time-Trial Championship title for the past two years, was part of the Movistar squad which finished second at the stage one team time trial in March’s Tirreno-Adriatico.

Team manager Eusebio Unzué commented: “I think we're bringing a pretty solid squad, well balanced, with all riders coming in good form and having good chances. If you add the solidness and experience from Lastras and Karpets, the good condition by Dowsett or the talent by Ventoso and Visconti, we're going with a strong block.”

Dowsett appeared for Great Britain in the 2012 UCI Road World Championships, finshing eighth in the time trial in Valkenburg.