Ben Swift was determined to bounce back this season after a frustrating, injury-hit campaign last year and the Yorkshireman has got off to the perfect start with a career-best performance. A stage winner at races such as the Tour Down Under and Tour of Poland, this is his first podium finish in a major one-day race and has proved there is more in the 26-year-old’s armoury than just a sprint.
Where Edvald Boasson Hagen faded, Swift stayed in the mix on the Cipressa and the Poggio and was rewarded with third place in the sprint. A strong one-day season has remained elusive for Team Sky, but Ian Stannard’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad victory, and now Swift’s third place at Milan-San Remo show the times may be changing. If Swift can show similar form throughout the rest of the year, it could be a very big season for him.
