Ben Swift heads into his tenth Worlds with an underdog team ready to succeed

Ben Swift (Great Britain) wil race his tenth elite UCI Road World Championships this weekend as he competes in the men’s road race in Glasgow, Scotland this Sunday.

Part of a strong home team that includes the likes of Fred Wright and Jake Stewart, the veteran Ineos rider believes that the bond and atmosphere within the camp could help propel Great Britain to a successful race. In an exclusive interview with GCN, Swift also talks about his hope of extending his contract with Ineos Grenadiers, and how he has developed into the best teammate possible.

GCN: Heading into the World Championships, how’s the form for you?

Ben Swift: After the Giro I picked up a bit of a knee strain. It wasn’t from a crash but I had a bad knee and couldn’t pedal. I had to take a bit of time off and the comeback was slow. I lost a bit of muscle in my right leg, so the power balance was out. The comeback was tough in that sense because with a broken bone you almost know instantly how long you’re going to be out for but with this injury it was really frustrating because there was a bit of inflammation and bruising. It was a bit like tendonitis and it took a lot of time. I came back at the Ethias-Tour de Wallonie but I was just missing that sharpness. I’m hoping that I can still have time to have a strong end to the back season.

GCN: Obviously you’ve got Worlds this Sunday but what else is on your calendar?

Ben Swift: I’ve got a pretty good programme to be honest. I only missed a couple of races in late June and August, as I was always going to take a break after the Giro but I’ve got Worlds then Hamburg and then Eneco, Tour of Britain and Croatia and then a block of Italian races. It’s a good mix of races with the team.

GCN: And this Sunday what’s the target for you and the rest of the riders? You’ve got quite a young team but plenty of experience. 

Ben Swift: We’ve obviously got Fred, who is flying and came out of the Tour de France really well. He’s our number one but then we’ve got Ben Turner and Connor Swift who have both been riding well. We’ve got a bit of an underdog team though, because we’ve got riders who can perform really well but we don’t have a rider like Wout van Aert or Remco Evenepoel. We can be confident of having a good ride, and spreading the expectations and workload across the entire group.

GCN: Does home advantage count at all?

Ben Swift: I don’t think it matters too much. It’s obviously nice to be racing in Scotland, and the weather looks like it will be appalling again, just like it was in Yorkshire in 2019, but that’s going to affect the race a lot, especially for the riders who have been enjoying the heatwave in mainland Europe. It could be quite a shock to the system.

GCN: When it comes to tactics, how do you see the race playing out because there are teams like Belgium and the Netherlands who have contenders that can attack from long range?

Ben Swift: If you look at the Belgian team, they obviously have a strong team but who works for who? They aren’t all going to want to work for each other in a certain way. We do well as a national team because we click as a nation. We talk in races and that helps us bond. That means that we’re willing to throw it all in and work together. I’m not going to say that teams like Belgium will work against each other but it almost dilutes them by having so many high profile riders. They clearly have riders who can finish it off, no matter what but for us we just need to be in the race. It’s going to be a slog with the weather but the Glasgow circuit is super technical, and there’s going to be a lot of stress and a lot of fighting.

GCN: On strong teams, the Danish squad looks really good.

Ben Swift: And they ride really well together. For me Mads Pedersen is my favourite. Kasper Asgreen is going well and has won Flanders but on this course you need a bit of a punch too, and I think Mads has that.

GCN: And this is your tenth elite Worlds?

Ben Swift: Yeah, this is my tenth, so that’s not a bad stat. And we’ve really clicked as a group since we’ve got here. We all went for a ride today and it was like being kids out there. There’s a real bond and a great atmosphere. I’m ready for a good weekend, and getting stuck in.

GCN: You’re out of contract this year but are you looking ahead to how many more Worlds you’re going to have?

Ben Swift: I want to continue next year, certainly for another contract cycle. I’ve been speaking to the team a little bit and over the last couple of years I’ve started to establish myself as a bit of a different rider and grown in that role. In one way I’m racing the best I ever have done. Okay I don’t win races much but I cover a lot of ground for the team and work with the younger guys a lot. I’m keen to continue and we’ve just got to finalise things a bit. Hopefully I’ll be at more World Championships.

GCN: I’d definitely agree. Since you’ve come back from UAE Team Emirates you’ve become a different rider to the one that left Team Sky.

Ben Swift: At Sky I was fighting for the wins and a chance to have leadership roles and it was a dual role. Nowadays, it’s not that I don’t want to win races or look for opportunities but I get a lot of satisfaction from being a loyal teammate and doing good rides. If you look at the Giro, when people on TV are talking quite highly about you because of the work you’re doing, I get a lot from that. It also means the family sees me a lot more on TV.

GCN: What was the change there because I remember during the pandemic year in 2020, at the Giro, for example, you were bossing it on mountain stages, and that was completely different from your previous role?

Ben Swift: I think it was about doing more focussed training. I don’t train my sprint anymore, and the last time that I was at Team Sky was back in 2016, which isn’t far off ten years ago. The way I train now, and even things like nutrition, I’m working on a lot more. I’m not just chasing results anymore, and I’m trying to improve the whole package as a rider. I bring value to the team in terms of experience and a bit of a steady hand, but working with the younger riders who are coming through really helps me up my gain.

GCN: So are you thinking about another year or two?

Ben Swift: I want to do two. I just want to continue while I’m still enjoying it and competing at a high level. The sport is so hard now, and the demands are so high with no shortcuts. If you’re a kilo overweight then you’re going to be found out and it’s so much more professional. As soon as you’re not enjoying it, it’s time to stop but I still love racing and being on my bike training.

GCN: I did hear a rumour about you considering a DS role in the team, whether that was for 2024 or a little further down the line.

Ben Swift: That’s something that I said I never wanted to do but I want to stay in cycling and that conversation is for later when I’m ready. You never know what’s going to happen in the future but with those rumours, I’ve spoken to the team, and it’s good for the confidence that they think highly of me. I’ll keep my options open but for the moment I want to stay in the peloton.