In 2009 Ben Swift enjoyed the kind of debut professional season that many riders would dream of. He finished a Grand Tour, the Giro d'Italia. He scored a win, and managed a string of top ten placings, including a top three finish in a stage of the Giro.
"I'm really pleased with my first season," says Swift. "But I think I'm more surprised than pleased. I never expected to ride the Giro, then to get placings there, and to finish - that's what I was most happy about."
Swift's apprenticeship was served with the British Cycling Academy, under the guidance of Rod Ellingworth. He combined road and track and his continuing commitment to track racing - he wants to go to the London Olympics in 2012 - helps explain his move to Team Sky after one year with the Russian team Katusha.
"I'm massively grateful to Katusha for the opportunities they gave me," says Swift, "but coming to Team Sky feels like coming home, because I know so many of the support staff and the riders."
Swift comes from a cycling family and has ridden a bike for as long as he can remember. In fact, he says he first raced when he was three-and-a-half, "down the local park, in a mountain bike race." From that moment on he was hooked. "I lived on my bike pretty much everyday since I was three. Everyday, all day, I was out on my bike in the woods."
Having tried just about every discipline, it is no surprise that Swift has developed into a talented all-rounder. Third on stage two of the Giro - behind top sprinters Alessandro Petacchi and Mark Cavendish - suggests that his finish is a particular strength, an impression reinforced by his stage win in the Tour of Britain. "But I wouldn't say I'm a pure sprinter," counters Swift. "The big bunch sprints are always fun, though," he adds with a grin.
"Next year," he continues, "I'd like to ride another Grand Tour but a big focus for me is the track world championships (in Copenhagen in March). I want to ride the team pursuit at the London Olympics. Then I'll concentrate fully on the road: that's the career I've mapped out."
