Nationality: British
Luke Rowe has proven himself a loyal and tactically astute domestique over the years, helping Chris Froome to his Tour de France victories in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Moreover, Rowe has developed into the squad's team captain which means he'll be making many of the crucial mid-race decisions for the team.
A fellow product of the British Cycling academy along with team-mates Geraint Thomas, Peter Kennaugh and Ian Stannard, Rowe's career has yet to produce a flourish of personal success that might have been expected by a rider of his talent after eight years with Team Sky.
But he's shown his potential to grow into one of Britain's most successful Classics riders. In 2016, he headed the Sky team at Monuments Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix alongside Stannard, recording a fifth place at Flanders to add to an eighth place finish at Roubaix he achieved in 2015.
Rowe started 2017 strongly, taking his first win since 2012 on stage two of the Herald Sun Tour. This was followed by a solid show on the opening weekend of the cobbled classics, with sixth in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and third in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. He also gained the noble title of 'lanterne rouge', given to the last finishing rider at the Tour de France. Luckily, teammate Froome finished in polar opposite first position.
Ill fortune struck late in the season when he fractured his tibia and fibula whilst whitewater rafting at his brothers stag party. Disproving doctors expectations, he returned to cycling in February of 2018. However, another two seasons of average classics performances awaited. The Welshman still believes the form is there, so only time will tell.
Another notable moment occurred in the 2019 TdF, when Luke Rowe and Tony Martin were expelled from the race on stage 17 due to Martin swerving in-front of Rowe, followed by Rowe placing his hands on the German.
Alongside his commitments as a professional riders, Rowe wrote a weekly column for Cycling Weekly magazine, hosts a podcast with Geraint Thomas and enjoys watching ice hockey in his spare time.
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'I never thought I'd really leave the team': Luke Rowe opens up on his reasons for departing Ineos GrenadiersWelsh road captain is heading to Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale to become a sports director
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Luke Rowe to leave Ineos Grenadiers, joins Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale as a sports directorThe Welsh rider spent 13 years with the British squad
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'You can't sugarcoat it' - Luke Rowe says Ineos Grenadiers are 'underperforming'British squad's experienced road captain believes his team has been "overtaken" by others
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Luke Rowe set to retire at end of 2024, as Geraint Thomas '95%' certain to retire in 2025The Welsh pair will likely both have left professional cycling by 2026
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'I thought I was more in the door than I was' - Luke Rowe bares all on Vuelta a España snubWelshman will not race a Grand Tour this year after he missed out on selection by Ineos Grenadiers
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Fred Wright anticipating tough battle in elite men's road race at World ChampionshipsLuke Rowe on racing Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert: 'If you wait and try to race them man on man in the final, I think you’re just waiting with a loaded gun to your head'
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'If you sent me a message you are nuts': Luke Rowe hits back at critics after Paris-Roubaix crash with Mads PedersenThe Brit challenges anyone who criticised him to try riding through the Arenberg forest with a front wheel puncture themselves
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Luke Rowe explains why he was handed fine on Tour de France stage threeThe British rider was fined by commissaries for 'assault, intimidation, insults, threats, improper conduct'
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'Chapeau to the whole peloton minus Astana,' says Luke Rowe after chaotic Tour de France 2020 stage oneRiders have described the stage one roads as 'like ice' on a day where crashes dominated the action
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These are the British riders to look out for at the Tour de France 2020This year’s Tour de France will certainly be missing some of the biggest British names, but there are still some UK riders that will be worth keeping in mind during the race.
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Luke Rowe donates bike after thieves steal NHS doctor’s bike from outside hospitalLuke Rowe has stepped in to help an NHS doctor after thieves stole his bike while he was working in the intensive care unit.
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Luke Rowe signs long-term extension with Team Ineos
Luke Rowe has signed a long-term contract extension with Team Ineos, allowing him to continue supporting the young riders in the squad like Egan Bernal.
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Team Ineos looking into appeal after Luke Rowe kicked off Tour de France 2019Team Ineos say they hope to appeal the decision to throw Luke Rowe out of the Tour de France.
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Luke Rowe and Tony Martin kicked out of Tour de France after altercation on stage 17Luke Rowe and Tony Martin have both been kicked off the Tour de France after an altercation on stage 17.
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Peter Sagan takes his first win of the season at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne; Luke Rowe thirdPeter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) won Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne with a powerful sprint to take his first win of the year ahead of defending champion Jasper Stuyven.
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Luke Rowe wins stage two of Herald Sun TourWelshman Luke Rowe takes his first win since 2012, making a solo move from the day's escape group in the Herald Sun Tour
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Luke Rowe: Team Sky’s formidable road captainThe Welshman Luke Rowe talks about his journey from carefree youngster to Sky’s formidable road captain
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Luke Rowe column: The first ride after the off-season is grimAfter a month off, with no cycling, Team Sky's Luke Rowe gets back into it with a training camp in Majorca
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Luke Rowe goes into gruesome detail in describing broken leg that could put him out for a yearLuke Rowe has described in graphic detail the broken leg that he sustained on his brother's stag party, which could put him out for a year.
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Luke Rowe column: Good days and bad days at the Tour de France
“Saturday’s stage was a case of ride the climbs as fast as you can, descend like crazy and see where you are at the finish”
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Luke Rowe column: Starting the season the right way in Australia
In his weekly column, Team Sky's Luke Rowe looks back on the Tour Down Under and getting the miles in the bank
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Luke Rowe 'light-heartedly' tears down spectator's anti-Team Sky banner before Tour de France start in LorientRowe: "We’ll see how we go, but that's my one banner done for the Tour now"
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Luke Rowe column: 'People in the army are risking their lives. We’re just racing bikes round France'
CW columnist Luke Rowe tells us where he might have ended up if it hadn't been for cycling, with a career in the army beckoning if he weren't on the bike.
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Team Sky determined to make amends at the Tour of FlandersTeam Sky's Luke Rowe says the squad is ready to to "up their game" at the Tour of Flanders, after disappointment at E3 Harelbeke and Ghent-Wevelgem last weekend
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Sky riders relish free role at Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race -
Luke Rowe races with the best in Qatar during one of his "hardest ever" daysThe Welshman finishes in select group of 13 including Boonen, Sagan and Terpstra.
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Ben Swift, Ian Stannard and Luke Rowe all pull out of British National Road Race ChampionshipsAlex Peters and Andy Fenn will be Team Sky's only representatives in the 2016 British National Road Race Championships
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‘We’re all ready and hungry’: Luke Rowe looks ahead to Tour de France 2019 as Team Ineos target fifth consecutive victoryLuke Rowe has become a stalwart of the Tour de France peloton over the last four years, relishing his position as the Team Ineos road captain
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British Tour de France debutants have their work cut-outAlex Dowsett, Luke Rowe and Adam Yates tell us what is expected of them as they embark on their first Tour de France.
