Ben Swift

Benjamin Ian Swift (born 5 November 1987) is a British professional track and road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam. 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 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.

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 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.

UAE Abu Dhabi
After seven seasons with Sky, in September 2016 Swift announced that he would join 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 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.

Road

 * 2007
 * Giro delle Regioni
 * 1st Jersey polkadot.svg Mountains classification
 * 1st Stage 4
 * 1st Jersey red.svg 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 Jersey yellow.svg Overall Tour de Picardie
 * 1st Jersey green.svg Points classification
 * 1st Jersey white.svg 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 Jersey white.svg 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 Jersey white.svg 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 Jersey white.svg 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 Jersey blue.svg 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 MaillotReinoUnido.PNG Road race, National Championships


 * 2020
 * 8th Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne
 * 10th Milano–Torino


 * 2021
 * 1st MaillotReinoUnido.PNG Road race, National Championships (Lincoln GP)
 * 3rd Grand Prix de Denain


 * 2022
 * 8th Milano–Torino

Track

 * 2004
 * 1st MaillotReinoUnido.PNG Points race, National Junior Championships


 * 2005
 * National Junior Championships
 * 1st MaillotReinoUnido.PNG 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 UEC Champion Jersey.svg 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 Silver medal uci.svg Team pursuit, UCI World Championships


 * 2012
 * UCI World Championships
 * 1st Rainbow Jersey Track.svg Scratch
 * 2nd Silver medal uci.svg Points race
 * 2nd Silver medal uci.svg Madison (with Geraint Thomas)