Ben Swift facts for kids

Benjamin John Swift (born 5 November 1987) is a professional cyclist from Great Britain. He competes in both track and road cycling. Ben currently rides for the UCI WorldTeam Ineos Grenadiers.

Swift won the scratch race at the 2012 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. He also won the men's elite road race at the British National Road Race Championships in 2019 and 2021. His cousin, Connor Swift, is also a professional road cyclist from England. Connor was the British champion in 2018.

Ben Swift's Early Cycling Days

Ben Swift was born in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. He started cycling when he was 12 years old with the Mossley Cycle Racing Team. In 2003, he came in second place in the under-16 national scratch race championship. The winner was fellow Olympian Steven Burke.

As a junior rider, Ben competed in the Junior Commonwealth Games. He earned a bronze medal in the points race. He also won two national titles: the junior points race championship in 2004 and the junior scratch race in 2005. In 2005, he even competed in the senior scratch race and finished third, showing his great talent. Ben began racing internationally and won several madison events. In 2012, he became Great Britain's first-ever World Scratch Champion by winning the World Championship Men's Scratch Race.

Ben Swift's Professional Road Career

Ben Swift started his professional road cycling career in August 2007. He joined the Barloworld team as a trainee. During this time, he won the King of the Mountains title in the Tour of Britain.

In 2008, he raced for the British Cycling development team. He won his first race that was ranked by the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale). Ben represented Great Britain in the 2008 Olympic Games road race. He also competed at the UCI Road World Championships, where he finished fourth in the under-23 race.

Joining Katusha Team

After the championships, Ben signed a two-year contract with the new Russian team, Team Katusha. In 2009, he was chosen to ride in the Giro d'Italia. He finished third in stage 2 of that race. He got his first professional win on stage seven of the Tour of Britain. He led his Katusha teammate Filippo Pozzato to a one-two finish. Ben described himself as "an allrounder, who can do well in the Classics and win stages." He also mentioned that time trials were his weakness.

Riding for Team Sky

Ben Swift joined the new British team, Team Sky, in January 2010. His move to Team Sky from Team Katusha, even though he had a contract, led to new rules for how riders transfer between teams. In his first season with Sky, Ben had a big success at the Tour de Picardie. He won one stage, the overall race, the points competition, and the best young rider award.

Swift (leading) at the 2011 Tour de Romandie, where he won the fifth stage.

In 2011, Ben won his first stage in a UCI World Tour race. He won stage two of the Tour Down Under in Australia. Four days later, he also won stage six. Ben won Stage 2 of the Tour of California and took the lead of the race. He was chosen for the Tour de France and finished 6th on Stage 15.

In 2012, Ben focused on track cycling. He hoped to represent Great Britain in the 2012 Olympic Games. On April 4, Ben won the Scratch Race at the World Championships. This win earned him the special rainbow jersey. He also finished second in the points race. He teamed up with Geraint Thomas to win a silver medal in the madison race.

Ben was supposed to ride in the Giro d'Italia, but he had to pull out. He broke his shoulder in a training crash the week before the race. Even though he wasn't picked for the British Olympic team, he was chosen for Team Sky's squad for the Tour de Pologne. He won the second and fifth stages of that Tour. Ben was also Sky's main sprinter at the 2012 Vuelta a España, where he finished second on Stage 18.

In March 2014, Ben achieved one of his best results by finishing third in the famous Milan–San Remo race. In April 2015, Ben crashed out of the new Tour de Yorkshire race and hurt his shoulder.

Wearing the national champion's jersey in 2019

On March 19, 2016, Ben finished second in Milan–San Remo. He was just barely beaten by Arnaud Démare.

Moving to UAE Abu Dhabi

After seven seasons with Team Sky, Ben announced in September 2016 that he would join UAE Abu Dhabi. He signed a two-year deal starting in 2017. He wanted more chances to race for himself and lead his team.

Returning to Team Sky

In October 2018, Ben Swift rejoined Team Sky for the 2019 season. In June 2019, Ben won the British National Road Race Championships in Norwich. He beat his teammate Ian Stannard. In September 2019, Ben signed a new contract to stay with Team Ineos (now Ineos Grenadiers) until the end of the 2021 season. Ben said he felt "renewed enthusiasm and motivation" for cycling. As of July 2025, he is still an important part of the Ineos Grenadiers team.

Ben Swift's Major Achievements

Ben Swift has achieved many great things in his cycling career.

Road Cycling Highlights

• 2007
  • Won a stage and the Mountains classification at the Giro delle Regioni.
  • Won the Mountains classification at the Tour of Britain.
• 2008
  • Won Coppa della Pace.
  • Won a stage at the Giro della Valle d'Aosta Mont Blanc.
• 2009
  • Won Stage 7 of the Tour of Britain.
• 2010
  • Won the overall race, a stage, the points classification, and the young rider classification at the Tour de Picardie.
• 2011
  • Won Stages 2 and 6 of the Tour Down Under.
  • Won Stage 5 of the Tour de Romandie.
  • Won Stage 2 of the Tour of California.
• 2012
  • Won Stages 2 and 5 of the Tour de Pologne.
• 2014
  • Won Stages 1a and 1b (Team Time Trial) at the Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali.
  • Finished 3rd in Milan–San Remo.
• 2015
  • Won Stage 2 of the Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali.
• 2016
  • Finished 2nd in Milan–San Remo.
• 2019
  • Won the Road race, National Championships.
• 2021
  • Won the Road race, National Championships.

Track Cycling Highlights

• 2004
  • Won the Points race at the National Junior Championships.
• 2005
  • Won the Scratch race at the National Junior Championships.
• 2010
  • Won a Silver medal in the Team pursuit at the UCI World Championships.
• 2012
  • Won a Gold medal in the Scratch race at the UCI World Championships.
  • Won Silver medals in the Points race and Madison (with Geraint Thomas) at the UCI World Championships.

See also

In Spanish: Benjamin Swift para niños