Ben Swift (Team Sky) - Milan-San Remo
Ben Swift (Team Sky) - Milan-San Remo
Ben Swift bounced back from an injury-ravaged 2013 season in style, with a podium place at Milan-San Remo highlighting the Yorkshireman’s rise as an all-round sprinter.
Pre-race attention had focussed on Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quickstep), with the removal of the Pompeiana climb from the route handing the 2011 winner a chance to compete after all.
But it was his compatriot Swift who stole the British headlines as the peloton battled freezing conditions in Italy.
While there was no repeat of the snow in 2013, the race was another war of attrition for the fast men and Swift showed great resolve to power to third place behind Alexander Kristoff (Team Katusha) and Fabian Cancellara (Trek Factory Racing).
A career-best result proved the catalyst for a strong season which included a stage win at the Tour of the Basque Country, with the next step for Swift now to shrug off his nearly-man tag and turn top-fives into first place finishes.