Sky Procycling rider takes win number four of 2011 season
British sprinter Ben Swift has praised his Sky Procycling team-mates, crediting them as playing a vital role in yesterday’s stage win at the Tour de Romandie.
There had been signs of tension earlier this week with directeur sportif Sean Yates questioning Bradley Wiggin’s commitment on stage three, where a break by Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana), Mikael Cherel (AG2R La Mondiale) and Tony Martin (HTC-Highroad) went clear close to the end and finished ahead of a bunch led home by Swift.
The peloton finished in the same time as Vinokourov, underlining how vital complete commitment by the team would have been.
There were no such issues on yesterday’s final stage of the race, with Swift emphasising afterwards that the entire team had done exceptional work in helping support him.
“The Tour of Romandie finished in the best way possible with a stage win,” he said. “It was nice to get the win, after a week of great teamwork and near misses. We really wanted to make sure it was a sprint today as Tony Martin did an impressive attack and robbed us of one on Stage 3.”
Swift said that a clear team plan had been worked out beforehand, and that the riders were in a determined mood. Two first category climbs ensured that the bunch would thin out, but also that Swift would need to be perfectly supported to ensure that he would be well placed in the reduced peloton.
“Coming into the first cat 1[climb] the team positioned me right at the front to give me the best chance of getting over,” he recounted. “I had really good legs and stayed at the head of the bunch up the first climb with the team around me. It’s a nice feeling knowing you are holding position on a climb and the group is getting smaller all the time we climb up. It was a quick descent and a quick regroup just in time for the second and harder climb. Once again the team positioned me perfectly and I went over the top in the front group. The guys was really great here once we had got over the steep section they road on the front so we could set our own tempo.”
After the summit, he said that Dario Cioni, Morris Possoni and Michael Barry rode hard at the front to keep the group together, and also to gradually reel in a four-man break.
Once inside the final three kilometres, Swift said that the team ramped up its efforts even more. “Each and every team member gave it their all. That is a very special feeling knowing that seven other guys are committed 100% to helping you win,” he said. “There is pressure but only from within myself. I got guided perfectly by Michael followed by [Chris] Froome, Wiggo [Bradley Wiggins], Geraint [Thomas] and then CJ [Sutton] and all I had to do was hold the blistering pace that the guys had set for me.”
Once inside the final 200 metres, he put his head down and gave it everything. He proved quicker than Davide Vigano (Leopard Trek) and triple world champion Oscar Freire (Rabobank), clocking up one of the best victories of his career.
“You could tell just how special it was to the team as all the way down the home straight you could see a Team Sky rider with his hands up,” he said, the gesture reflecting the squad’s determination and also its faith in him. “It wasn’t just my victory, it was a victory for the whole team.”
Swift has topped the podium four times this year; he took two stages of the Santos Tour Down Under in January, then last month won a stage of the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon. At just 23 years of age, he is one of the most promising sprinters in cycling.