Ben Swift: Rider Profile

BEN SWIFT

Date of birth: 05/11/1987

Team: Team Sky

Previous teams: Katusha (2009); British Cycling Academy (2004-2008); stagiaire at Barloworld (2007)

Ben Swift career profile
A long-term member of the British Academy, Ben Swift showed enormous potential as a junior rider. Impressing many with his performances at the Tour of Britain, Swift earned himself a spot as a stagiaire with the Barloworld team in 2007, where he won the King of the Mountains title in his home tour. Barloworld did not sign Swift and he returned to the Academy for 2008.

Riding with the British Cycling Academy in Italy, he won his first UCI-ranked race and one of the most prestigious amateur races on the calendar, the Coppa della Pace. Swift went on to represent Great Britain in the 2008 Beijing Olympics road race, where he lasted until the very last lap before succumbing to the heat, humidity and the infernal pace.

Swift's enormous potential was reflected with a fourth place at the Under-23 World Championships, after which he promptly signed a contract with the new Russian super team, Katusha, for 2009.

Swift again showed his potential at Katusha in May 2009, with a third place finish on the second stage of the Giro d'Italia. He then scored a stage win at the Tour of Britain, lead-out by team-mate Filippo Pozzato.

After one season at Katusha, Swift signed up for British-based ProTour squad Team Sky for 2010. He quickly made an impression for the squad, winning a stage and the overall of the Tour de Picardie.

Swift started his 2011 campaign strongly, with two stage wins at the Tour Down Under - the opening UCI WorldTour event of the season - and placed third overall.

Swift's focus switched to the track in 2012 ahead of the London Olympic Games. Although he missed out on riding in the team pursuit, he grabbed the world title in the scratch race and a silver in the points race.

Despite his Track Worlds success, Swift was dropped from the track squad for London 2012 and not selected as part of GB's five-man road race team. The disappointment didn't stop him from winning two sprint stages at the Tour of Poland in July 2012.

Swift endured an injury-marred season in 2013, which rendered him unable to secure any victories, but bounced back in 2014 claiming third spot in Milan-San Remo followed by victory in the opening stage of Settimana Coppi e Bartali.

Ben Swift results

2015

Settimana Coppi e Bartali; stage two

2014

Settimana Coppi e Bartali; stage 1a

Settimana Coppi e Bartali; points classification

Tour of the Basque Country; stage five

2012

Track World Championships; scratch race

Tour of Poland; stage two

Tour of Poland; stage five

2011
Tour Down Under; stage two
Tour Down Under; stage six
Vuelta a Castilla y Leon; stage five

Tour de Romandie; stage five

Tour of California; stage two

2010
Tour de Picardie; stage two

Tour de Picardie; overall

2009
Tour of Britain; stage seven

2008
Coppa della Pace

GP Coppa Romita

2007
Tour of Britain; King of the Mountains

Giro delle Regioni; Stage

Giro delle Regioni; King of the Mountains