Bygones: Downing returns to Tour of Britain to help try and inspire next generation of cyclists

The Milk Race as it was known was contested between 1958 and 1993.

In a commercially-driven sport like cycling, where team shirts are emblazoned with a myriad number of products and corporate backers, the only calling cards exempt from being adorned by the financial lifelines of the sport nowadays is the names of the races themselves.

The Tour de France, Vuelta a Espana, Giro d’Italia, Tour de Suisse, US Pro Challenge and Tour of Britain are all names strong enough to stand alone.

But for 35 years the Tour of Britain crossed sporting boundaries as the much-loved Milk Race.

It was the most prestigious cycling event in the British calendar, and the (now disbanded) Milk Marketing Board’s sponsorship remains the longest association in the sport’s history.

The multi-stage race was conducted over a number of day races – across a number of locations – and was contested by some of the most successful ever road cyclists.

Among the previous winners are Shane Sutton – currently a part of British Cycling’s coaching set-up – and Yorkshireman Malcolm Elliott, the team manager of the Node4-Giordana professional team, who began yesterday’s race in the Scottish Borders. The Milk Race was an enthralling event that drew people in from around the country.

For Dean Downing, who at 38 cycled down the ramp at the start of his fourth Tour of Britain yesterday as part of the Madison Genesis team, his association with the race goes back to his childhood when he first fell in love with the Milk Race.

“It was a huge race back in the day,” said Downing, who raced in Britain’s premier cycling event for the first time in 2005.

“It used to come through Rotherham and Sheffield quite frequently, so it was effectively on our doorstep.

“On many occasion myself, my dad and Russ (younger brother and fellow professional) would ride our bikes down to find a good spot and watch the guys come past.

“You used to see all the big names, people who became our heroes like Malcolm Elliott and Chris Walker.

“You always knew the Milk Race, it was one of the main races and it had that iconic name that transcended the sport. When I was getting into cycling in the 1980s and 90s it was our best chance to see the big names.”

Elliott and Walker became firm friends with the Downing brothers as they followed in their idols’ footsteps.

Elliott, from Sheffield, won the Milk Race in 1987 when it was moving from an amateur race into the professional era.

Walker, who also hailed from the Steel City, won it in 1991.

Elliott also triumphed at the Kelloggs Tour in the following year, with that event running from ‘87 to ‘94, a year after the end of the Milk Race’s long run.

Within 12 months both races had bit the dust.

The professional Kellogg’s Tour was characterised in its early years by very long hilly stages, one example being the inaugural race in which during one stage from Newcastle upon Tyne to Manchester, riders weaved their way through the Yorkshire Dales much as the Tour de France will do next summer when the Grand Depart is held in the White Rose county.

The Prudential plc-sponsored PruTour (1998–1999) ran twice as major cycling was briefly revived in this country, but only in 2004 was fresh life injected into major road cycling with the Tour of Britain.

Since then, with the remarkable growth of cycling, the race has grown exponentially.

“The Tour of Britain used to be a five-day race back in 2004 but now it’s an eight-day stage race and one a lot of the teams take more seriously with each passing year,” continued Downing.

“It’s become a big goal for everybody, including the pro teams. Some of them are here using it as preparation for the world championships the following week in Florence, so that just shows how important it has become in the calendar.

“Someone told me the other day that between the riders in this year’s field there are over 100 Grand Tour stage wins, including Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins who take up a large portion of that.”

For Downing, as well as the nostalgia he gained from being a part of a race he was bewitched by in his youth, there is also this week a desire to defy his years with a solid ride for his team.

He cycled the Tour of Britain in 2005, ‘06 and ‘08 and is delighted to have been presented with the chance to ride it again, to go wheel-to-wheel with the likes of Cavendish and Wiggins and hopefully help inspire another generation of cyclists to follow.

“It’s nice for me to be back after a five-year absence,” said Downing, who represents the family with NetApp Endure rider Russell not involved for his German team.

“I’ve still spent a lot of time around the race the last few years working with ITV and then doing a bit of post-race PR for a team.

“The race is getting as big, if not bigger, than it was in the 1980s when it was the Milk Race and I was going out and watching it and getting inspired by all these great cyclists.”