Tour de Yorkshire 2015: stage-by-stage preview with Russell Downing and Ben Swift
Yorkshiremen offer an insight into how the inaugural Tour de Yorkshire might play out
Yorkshire rider Ben Swift is one of British cycling’s most promising young sprinters. Swift was born in Rotherham in November 1987 and started cycling at the age of just three. His first interest in the sport came through BMX riding.
Swift competed widely as a junior. He took first place during the Points Race at the 2004 Junior National Track Championships, and first in the Scratch Race at the same competition a year later. 2006 brought a significant second place at the British National Team Pursuit Championships which Swift built on by taking first in the Under 23’s at the European Championships the following year. 2007 also brought a spot on the Barloworld team as a stagiaire, winning King of the Mountains during the Tour of Britain.
2008 saw Swift place a strong fourth in both the European and World Road Championships, as well as representing his county in the Beijing Olympics. He turned professional with the Russian outfit Team Katusha for the 2009 season, competing well in the Giro d’Italia and taking a stage in the Tour of Britain.
Swift transferred to the newTeam Sky at the beginning of 2010 and took victories in the General and Points classification at the Tour de Picardie. He grabbed his first Pro Tour wins the following year with two stages at the Tour Down Under, placing third overall. Swift missed out on an Olympic team spot for 2012, but did secure a gold in the Scratch Race and silver in the Madison and the Points Race at the Track Cycling World Championships.
