# Ben Swift

Benjamin John Swift (born 5 November 1987) is a British professional track and road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Ineos Grenadiers. Swift won the scratch race at the 2012 UCI Track Cycling World Championships and the men's elite road race at the 2019 and 2021 British National Road Race Championships. His cousin, Connor Swift, is also an English professional road racing cyclist, and the 2018 British champion.

## 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.
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. 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.'"

### 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. 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.
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. Swift was selected for the Tour de France ahead of Greg Henderson, and finished 6th on Stage 15.
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. 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 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. In April 2015, Swift crashed out of the newly created Tour de Yorkshire, injuring his shoulder.
On 19 March 2016, Swift finished second in Milan–San Remo, being narrowly outsprinted by Arnaud Démare (FDJ).

### 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.

### Return to Team Sky

In October 2018, Swift rejoined Team Sky for the 2019 season. In June 2019, Swift won the British National Road Race Championships in Norwich, beating team leader Ian Stannard. 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'. As of July 2023 he was still part of the Ineos Grenadiers’ squad.

## Major results
### Road
#### 2007

    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 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 World Under-23 Championships
    4th Road race, UEC European Under-23 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

#### 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

    Tour de Pologne
       1st Points classification
       1st Stages 2 & 5
    4th Road race, National Championships

#### 2013

    3rd Time trial, National 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 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 World Championships
    5th Road race, National Championships
    10th Eschborn–Frankfurt

#### 2019

    1st Road race, National Championships

#### 2020

    8th Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne
    10th Milano–Torino

#### 2021

    1st Road race, National Championships (Lincoln GP)
    3rd Grand Prix de Denain

#### 2022

    8th Milano–Torino

#### 2025

    7th Surf Coast Classic

#### Grand Tour general classification results timeline

| Grand Tour | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| Giro d'Italia | 127 | — | — | — | — | 113 | — | — | — | — | — | 18 | — | 66 | 61 | 58 |
| Tour de France | — | — | 135 | — | — | — | — | — | 83 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| / Vuelta a España | — | DNF | — | 121 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Legend :
| — | Did not compete |
| DNF | Did not finish |
| IP | Race in Progress |

### Track
#### 2004

    1st Points race, National Junior Championships

#### 2005

    National Junior Championships
       1st Scratch
       3rd Individual pursuit
    1st Dortmund, UIV Talent Cup (with Geraint Thomas)
    National Championships
       2nd Madison (with Matt Rowe)
       3rd Scratch

#### 2006

    2nd Team pursuit, National Championships

#### 2007

    1st Team pursuit, UEC European Under-23 Championships
    2nd Points race, National Championships
    3rd Team pursuit, UCI World Cup Classics, Manchester

#### 2009

    3rd Individual pursuit, National Championships

#### 2010

    2nd Team pursuit, UCI World Championships

#### 2012

    UCI World Championships
       1st Scratch
       2nd Points race
       2nd Madison (with Geraint Thomas)