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Dowsett bags first podium

Image: Dowsett: Landmark occasion for the British neo-pro

British rider Alex Dowsett took the young rider's prize at Ster Elektrotoer with his third-placed finish on the opening stage.

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Alex Dowsett took the Wim Jeremiasse prijs (young rider’s prize) at Ster Elektrotoer with his third-placed finish on the opening stage. The 22-year-old Team Sky man was the third-last rider to hit the seven-kilometre time trial course in Alblasserdam and clocked a time of eight minutes and 35 seconds which initially put him in second position behind HTC-Highroad’s Patrick Gretsch. Alex Rasmussen would go just under two seconds faster than Dowsett on the final ride of the day, but couldn’t match his HTC-Highroad team-mate, who wrapped up his victory with a three-second margin. Dowsett though, was delighted with his run and told Team Sky's official website: “I’m really chuffed to get my first podium of the year because I’ve come close on a few occasions before this. “I knew when I saw the course that it could be on the cards so I put in some good preparation beforehand and then gave it my all when I was out there. “I maybe took things to the limit too much on a few of the corners, but I guess you have to do this when you’re riding at this level. “It started out pretty technical and had a few paved sections on I,t but I dealt with those OK and then there was the right mix of everything else during the remainder of the course. “The wind also dropped, which played into the hands of us later riders.”

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