DOWNING TAKES LEAD AT SACHSEN TOUR

Dean Downing took the biggest win of his career yesterday, winning the second stage of the German Sachsen Tour in Frohburg.

The win also saw Downing pull on the leader?s yellow jersey as he sat on top of the classification ahead of five ProTour teams, ?I think this is the best win I?ve ever had,? Downing told cyclingweekly.co.uk. ?Kristian [House] went with 1.5km to go, they brought him back and that set me up.?

Downing won from a group of eight as the Great Britain team were the only squad to put two riders in the front after the Columbia and Milram teams had earlier split the peloton in crosswinds.

The win came the day after Ben Swift placed second in the sprint to Columbia rider Andre Greipel.

With a 38 kilometre time trial tomorrow the British team wont be defending the lead. ?We?ll see how it plays out, but there?s a long TT tomorrow and Dean doesn?t have a TT bike here,? team manager John Herety said.

?If you told me that we?d have a first, a second and the yellow jersey I?d have been happy, and we?ve done all that in the first two days. Given how well [Ben] Swift is sprinting we?ll try and put him and [Jonny] Bellis in a position to win on the last stage.?

Chris Newton is also riding, building his form for the points race at the Olympic Games, but has picked up a small injury and is nursing himself through the five-day race.

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Swift second to Greipel in Sachsen Tour