1. Overview
Allan Howard Davis, born on July 27, 1980, is an Australian former professional road racing cyclist renowned for his sprinting prowess. Throughout his career, he achieved significant milestones, including an overall victory at the 2009 Tour Down Under, a gold medal in the road race at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, and a bronze medal at the 2010 UCI Road World Championships. Davis turned professional in 2002 and concluded his competitive career in 2014, subsequently transitioning into a `directeur sportifFrench` role within professional cycling.
2. Early Life and Amateur Career
Allan Davis was born in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. He began his journey in competitive cycling at the tender age of 10. His brother, Scott Davis, is also a professional cyclist. Davis was recognized for his talent early on and became a scholarship holder with the Australian Institute of Sport, which supported his development as an athlete. He currently resides in Bundaberg, Queensland, and also maintains a residence in Spain.
3. Professional Career
Allan Davis's professional cycling career spanned over 12 years, marked by his participation in various UCI ProTour teams and numerous significant achievements in both stage races and one-day classics.
3.1. Early Professional Years (2002-2006)
Davis made his professional debut in 2002 by signing with the Mapei-Quick-Step team. The following year, in 2003, he moved to the ONCE team. His breakthrough season came in 2004 after transferring to Liberty Seguros. In this year, he secured victories at the Giro del Piemonte, Trofeo Alcudia, and Trofeo Manacor. He also claimed individual stage wins at the Deutschland Tour and the Tour de Pologne. Davis participated in his first Tour de France in 2004, finishing 98th overall.
In 2005, Davis continued his strong performances. He finished 2nd overall at the 2005 Tour Down Under and won three stages at the Vuelta a Murcia. He also achieved the points classification and a stage win at both the Eneco Tour and the Vuelta a Aragón. Demonstrating his versatility, he secured podium finishes in major one-day races, taking 3rd place at both Paris-Tours and HEW Cyclassics. In the 2005 Tour de France, he notably finished fifth in the points classification.
The 2006 season was largely affected by his implication in the Operación Puerto doping case, as he was one of the riders from the ONCE team under scrutiny. This significantly limited his racing opportunities. However, on July 26, 2006, Spanish officials officially cleared him of any wrongdoing, allowing him to continue his career. Despite the challenges, he managed to win two stages at the 2006 Tour Down Under and earned a bronze medal in the road race at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
3.2. Establishing Major Achievements (2007-2009)
Following the dissolution of Astana-Würth, the successor to Liberty Seguros-Würth, Allan Davis joined Discovery Channel in 2007. This year proved successful, as he finished 2nd at Milan-San Remo and dominated the Tour of Qinghai Lake, winning five stages and the overall points classification. He also added a stage victory at the Volta a Catalunya. At the end of 2007, Discovery Channel also disbanded.
In 2008, Davis transferred to Mitsubishi-Jartazi. During this period, he competed in the 2008 Tour Down Under as part of the Team UniSA (University of South Australia) squad, where he finished 2nd overall and won a stage. He also secured 2nd place overall and a stage win at the Geelong Bay Classic Series. On September 3, 2008, a rapid agreement led to his transfer to Quick Step, effectively returning to a team with historical ties to his first professional outfit. Shortly after joining Quick Step, he demonstrated his form by winning the points classification and finishing 4th overall at the Tour de Pologne. He concluded the 2008 UCI ProTour season ranked 12th.
The 2009 season marked a career highlight for Davis with his overall victory at the 2009 Tour Down Under. He not only claimed the general classification but also won the points classification and three individual stages. Further solidifying his status as a formidable classics rider, he secured 2nd place finishes at Paris-Brussels and the Grand Prix de Wallonie, and 4th place finishes at both Milan-San Remo and Vattenfall Cyclassics.
3.3. Later Career and Retirement (2010-2014)
For the 2010 season, Allan Davis and his brother Scott both moved to the Astana team. This year was particularly successful for Davis. He earned a gold medal in the Road Race at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and a bronze medal in the road race at the 2010 UCI Road World Championships. He also won the points classification at the 2010 Tour de Pologne. Davis remained with Astana until the end of the 2011 season.
In 2012, he joined the newly established Australian professional cycling team, Orica-GreenEDGE. During his time with GreenEDGE, he won the overall title at the Geelong Bay Classic Series and finished 6th in the road race at the 2012 UCI Road World Championships. At the close of the 2013 season, Orica-GreenEDGE opted not to renew his contract. After an unsuccessful search for a new team, Allan Davis officially announced his retirement from competitive cycling in February 2014.
4. Post-Retirement Career
Following his retirement from professional cycling, Allan Davis transitioned into a new role within the sport as a `directeur sportifFrench`. In February 2018, he joined the women's professional cycling team Wiggle High5 as their lead `directeur sportifFrench`. Since 2022, he has been serving as an assistant `directeur sportifFrench` for the Lotto-Soudal team, continuing his involvement in professional cycling from behind the scenes.
5. Major Results
| Year | Result | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | * 7th, Road race, UCI Road World Under-23 Championships | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001 | * 6th, Road race, UCI Road World Under-23 Championships | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002 |
>- | 2003 |
>- | 2004 |
| 2005 |
>- | 2006 |
>- | 2007 |
>- | 2008 |
>- | 2009 |
>- | 2010 |
>- | 2011 |
>- | 2012 |
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