Ben Swift

Benjamin Ian Swift (born 5 November 1987) is an English professional track and road racing cyclist,[2] who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Team Ineos.[3] Swift won the scratch race at the 2012 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. His cousin, Connor Swift, is also an English professional road racing cyclist, and the 2018 winner of the British National Road Race Championships.

Ben Swift
Swift in 2020
Personal information
Full nameBenjamin Ian Swift
NicknameSwifty
Born (1987-11-05) 5 November 1987
Rotherham, England, United Kingdom
Height1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight69 kg (152 lb; 10.9 st)
Team information
Current teamTeam Ineos
DisciplineTrack and road
RoleRider
Rider typeSprinter/Lead out man
Amateur teams
1999–?Ashfield RC
?Mossley CRT
?Scunthorpe Poly CC
?–2000Kinesis
2007–2008Recycling.co.uk
Autumn 2007100% Me
2007Barloworld (stagiaire)
Professional teams
2009Team Katusha
2010–2016Team Sky
2017–2018UAE Abu Dhabi
2019–Team Sky[1]
Major wins
One-day races and Classics
National Road Race Championships (2019)

Biography

Swift was born in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, he began cycling with Mossley Cycle Racing Team aged 12. In 2003, he came second to fellow Olympian Steven Burke in the under 16 national scratch race championship. As a junior rider, Swift competed at the Junior Commonwealth Games, taking bronze in the points race, he won two national titles, the junior points race championship in 2004 followed by the junior scratch race in 2005. He also competed in the senior scratch race in 2005, demonstrating his ability by finishing third to take the bronze medal. Swift began competing internationally, winning several madison events. In 2012 he won the World Championship Men's Scratch Race, becoming Great Britain's first ever World Scratch Champion.

Professional career

He made his professional road debut in August 2007 joining Barloworld as a trainee during which time he won the King of the Mountains title in the Tour of Britain.

During 2008 he raced for the British Cycling development team and won his first UCI ranked race. He represented Great Britain in the 2008 Olympic Games road race and at the UCI Road World Championships where he finished fourth in the under 23 race.

Katusha

After the championships he signed a two-year professional contract with the new Russian Team Katusha.[4]

In 2009 he was selected to ride the Giro d'Italia, taking a third-place finish in stage 2. He took his first professional win on the seventh stage of the Tour of Britain, leading Katusha teammate Filippo Pozzato in a one-two finish.[5] Swift spoke with Cyclingnews.com in 2009, describing himself as "an allrounder, who can do well in the Classics and win stages. 'My weakness is in the time trial. I don't like doing them and I'm not really that good at them.'"[6]

Team Sky

Swift joined the newly formed British-based Team Sky in January 2010. His transfer to Sky from Team Katusha part way through his contract was instrumental in the Union Cycliste Internationale considering new regulations for the transfer of riders between teams.[7] During his first season with Sky Swift's most significant result came at the Tour de Picardie, at which he won one stage, the general classification, the points classification and best young rider.

Swift (leading) at the 2011 Tour de Romandie, where he won the fifth stage.

2011 saw Swift win his first stage of a UCI World Tour race, winning stage two of the Tour Down Under in Adelaide. Four days later he also won stage six. Swift won Stage 2 of the Tour of California, and took the lead of the race, after Stage 1 was cancelled due to adverse weather.[8] Swift was selected for the Tour de France ahead of Greg Henderson,[9] and finished 6th on Stage 15.[10]

In 2012 Swift focused on track cycling with a view to representing Great Britain in the 2012 Olympic Games. On 4 April, Swift won the Scratch Race at the World Championships to take the rainbow jersey. He finished second in the points race, and joined forces with Geraint Thomas to take silver in the madison.

Swift was scheduled to ride the Giro d'Italia, but was forced to withdraw after suffering a broken shoulder in a crash during a training ride the week before.[11] Although he failed to gain selection from the long list for the British Olympic team, he was picked for the Team Sky squad for the Tour de Pologne, winning the second and fifth stages, as well as wearing that Tour's red-and-white points classification jersey[12] Swift was selected as Sky's sprinter at the 2012 Vuelta a España, and finished second on Stage 18.

In March 2014, Swift achieved one of his biggest results to date by finishing third in Milan–San Remo.[13] In April 2015, Swift crashed out of the newly created Tour de Yorkshire, injuring his shoulder.[14]

Wearing the national champion's jersey in 2019

On 19 March 2016, Swift finished second in Milan–San Remo, being narrowly outsprinted by Arnaud Démare (FDJ).[15]

UAE Abu Dhabi

After seven seasons with Sky, in September 2016 Swift announced that he would join UAE Abu Dhabi on a two-year deal from 2017 in order to seek more opportunities to ride for himself.[16]

Return to Team Sky

In October 2018, Swift rejoined Team Sky for the 2019 season.[17] In June 2019, Swift won the British National Road Race Championships in Norwich, beating team leader Ian Stannard.[18][19] In September 2019, Swift signed a new contract to remain with Team Ineos until the end of the 2021 season. Swift said he had 'found a renewed enthusiasm and motivation for the sport'.[20]

Major results
2004
1st Points race, National Junior Track Championships
2005
1st Scratch race, National Junior Track Championships
1st Rotterdam Junior 2-day madison
1st Nights 1 & 2
1st Dortmund Under-23 3-day madison
2006
2nd Team pursuit, National Track Championships
2007
1st Team pursuit, UEC European Under-23 Track Championships
Giro delle Regioni
1st Mountains classification
1st Stage 4
1st Mountains classification Tour of Britain
3rd Milan–Busseto
4th Gran Premio della Liberazione
5th Road race, UEC European Under-23 Road Championships
7th La Côte Picarde
2008
1st Coppa della Pace
1st GP Coppa Romita
1st Stage 5 Giro della Valle d'Aosta Mont Blanc
4th Road race, UCI Under-23 Road World Championships
4th Road race, UEC European Under-23 Road Championships
6th Gran Premio Industrie del Marmo
10th Gran Premio della Liberazione
2009
1st Stage 7 Tour of Britain
2nd Nokere Koerse
8th Gran Premio di Lugano
10th Gran Premio dell'Insubria-Lugano
2010
1st Overall Tour de Picardie
1st Points classification
1st Young rider classification
1st Stage 2
2nd Team pursuit, UCI Track World Championships
2011
1st Stage 5 Vuelta a Castilla y León
1st Stage 5 Tour de Romandie
1st Stage 2 Tour of California
3rd Overall Tour Down Under
1st Stages 2 & 6
2012
UCI Track World Championships
1st Scratch race
2nd Points race
2nd Madison (with Geraint Thomas)
Tour de Pologne
1st Points classification
1st Stages 2 & 5
4th Road race, National Road Championships
2013
3rd Time trial, National Road Championships
3rd Trofeo Palma de Mallorca
5th Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana
10th Trofeo Campos–Santanyí–Ses Salines
10th RideLondon–Surrey Classic
2014
Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali
1st Points classification
1st Stages 1a & 1b (TTT)
1st Stage 5 Tour of the Basque Country
2nd Road race, National Road Championships
2nd RideLondon–Surrey Classic
2nd Trofeo Ses Salines
3rd Trofeo Muro–Port d'Alcúdia
3rd Milan–San Remo
8th Nokere Koerse
2015
2nd Overall Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali
1st Points classification
1st Stage 2
3rd Trofeo Playa de Palma
3rd RideLondon–Surrey Classic
7th Trofeo Santanyi–Ses Salines–Campos
9th International Road Cycling Challenge
9th Japan Cup
2016
1st Points classification Vuelta a Andalucía
2nd Milan–San Remo
7th Overall Tour du Poitou-Charentes
7th Gran Piemonte
8th Overall Tour of Britain
8th Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
2017
5th Road race, UCI Road World Championships
5th Road race, National Road Championships
10th Eschborn–Frankfurt
2019
1st Road race, National Road Championships
2020
8th Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne
10th Milano–Torino

Grand Tour results timeline
Grand Tour general classification results timeline[21]
Grand Tour 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Giro d'Italia 127 — — — — 113 — — — — —
Tour de France — — 135 — — — — — 83 — —
Vuelta a España — DNF — 121 — — — — — — —

References
  1. "Team Sky". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. Archived from the original on 5 January 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  2. "British Cycling Biography". British cycling. Archived from the original on 17 July 2007.
  3. "Team Ineos". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 2 January 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  4. Stephen Farrand (26 September 2008). "Swift Impresses in his Final Amateur Race at World Championships". Cycling Weekly.
  5. McManus, Gerry (18 September 2009). "Swift's sweet victory in Somerset". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  6. Susan Westemeyer (21 April 2009). "A Swift start to his career". CyclingNews.
  7. Shane Stokes (4 January 2010). "Swift set to move to Team Sky". CyclingNews.
  8. "Swift wins delayed start to Tour of California". Reuters. 17 May 2011.
  9. Nigel Wynn (23 June 2011). "Sky's Tour de France squad announced: Swift selected | Latest News". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
  10. Simon MacMichael (17 July 2011). "Tour de France Stage 15 reaction: Cav says green jersey not won yet, Swift feeling better as race goes on | road.cc | Road cycling news, Bike reviews, Commuting, Leisure riding, Sportives and more". road.cc. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
  11. Cycling (4 May 2012). "Giro d'Italia 2012: Ben Swift's training injury disrupts Team Sky's preparations but their focus remains". London: Telegraph. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
  12. Cycling Weekly. "Ben Swift wins second stage of Tour of Poland". Retrieved 11 July 2012.
  13. "Milan-San Remo Results". Cycling News. Archived from the original on 20 March 2013.
  14. Peter Cossins (1 May 2015). "Tour de Yorkshire favourite Swift crashes out". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  15. http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/ben-swift-on-milan-san-remo-second-is-the-worst-place-217478
  16. "Swift leaves Team Sky for two-year deal with Project TJ Sport". cyclingnews.com. 26 September 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  17. Windsor, Richard (22 October 2018). "Ben Swift returns to Team Sky for 2019 season". Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  18. "National Road Championships 2019: Ben Swift and Alice Barnes win maiden British titles". bbc.co.uk. 30 June 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  19. Cary, Tom (30 June 2019). "Ben Swift bounces back from ruptured spleen to win National Road Championships, while Alice Barnes takes women's title". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  20. "Ben Swift signs contract to stay with Team Ineos to end of 2021". bbc.co.uk. 6 September 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  21. http://www.procyclingstats.com/rider.php?id=140501
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