Ben Swift

Date of birth: 5 November 1987

(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

Height: 179cm
Weight: 69kg
Team: Team Ineos

Although recognised more as a sprinter on the road, Ben Swift’s formative years in the saddle were spent as a track rider. His talents in the velodrome were spotted early on by British Cycling as he won junior national titles, and he became part of its Academy.

Success on the road followed in 2007, when Swift won a stage of the Giro delle Regioni in Italy and won the mountains classification in the Tour of Britain riding as a stagiaire for the Barloworld team.

In 2009, Swift got his first taste of being on a top-level team as he was signed to Katusha, where he won a stage of the Tour of Britain.

He was then signed by Sky for 2010, where he amassed a series of victories and high placings in prestigious races. The pinnacle has so far perhaps been his second place at Milan-San Remo in 2016 – following on from his third in 2014 – once again showing he has the potential to contest the biggest races.

After seven seasons with Sky, Swift elected to switch to the UAE Abu Dhabi team for 2017.

Clearly preferring the British nature of team Sky, he switched back for the 2019 season. He won the 2019 British national championships, arguably his biggest result to date.

Although a major victory has thus far eluded Swift, not least due to niggling injuries, a big win is surely just around the corner as the likeable Rotherham man reaches his early thirties.