Ireland's Mark Downey in yellow in Portugal for Team Wiggins earlier this year. He becomes an Evo Pro Racing rider next season.
Having intended to sign 14 riders for its maiden season, Evo Pro Racing has decided to extend its plans and has added Mark Downey to the line-up.
A small number of additional riders are set to be unveiled as early as today, Thursday. The team has completed its registration to become a UCI Continental team and has already assembled a strong line-up.
Mark Downey should be one of the strongest of the riders in the year ahead. And having ridden for Team Wiggins this year his new team will feel he can take major victories next season.
Downey is also trying to qualify in the madison for the Olympics; an event in which he has previously won World Cup gold.
Advertisement
However, having combined his track and road commitments throughout his career, he will continue to follow that path with Evo Pro Racing.
Downey has hit the spot repeatedly on track and road with impressive frequency since his junior days.
In 2014 he took junior points race silver at the European Track Championships. He followed that up with his U23 silver at the Euros in 2016.
Furthermore he also won a gold medal in the points race at the World Cup in Apeldoorn, Holland, in November 2016.
Related News
Mark Downey pipped for a stage win at l'Avenir this year. Madison gold with Felix English at the UCI World Cup.
He then claimed another points race gold and a Madison silver medal followed at the World Cup in Cali, Colombia, in February, 2017.
Mark Downey then won his third gold medal in as many World Cups. That came in Los Angeles in February, 2017, when he claimed gold in the Madison with partner Felix English.
And in July of last year at the Europeans he took bronze in the U23 points race in Anadia, Portugal.
Mark Downey road racing palmares
On the road, as a 19-year-old in 2016 he placed 13th overall in the Rás Tailteann. He was 11th overall in that race last year.
Also in 2017, he took three top 10 stage placings at the Tour de l’Avenir. And he claimed 9th in the U23 road race at the Worlds.
This year he placed 6th in the Commonwealth Games road race and 4th in the Lincoln GP. He also took 4th in the Classica da Arrabida (1.2) and he was 3rd overall at Volta ao Alentejo (2.2).
In that race he took five top five places in six stages, winning the young rider classification. In the Baby Giro he was 9th and 4th on stages.
Downey also claimed U23 silver and elite bronze at the National Road Race Championships. He was also 2nd on stage 6 of the Tour de l’Avenir when he was narrowly beaten for victory.
Topics
