Ben Swift goes from intensive care to national champion in four months

A year on from being one of the first to celebrate his cousin’s victory, and a few months after a crash that left him in intensive care, Ben Swift finally became the British road race champion yesterday.
Ben Swift wins the British National Road Race Championship. (Picture: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)Ben Swift wins the British National Road Race Championship. (Picture: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
Ben Swift wins the British National Road Race Championship. (Picture: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

The 31-year-old from Rotherham, for so long one of the most reliable domestiques and a nearly-man of sprinting, finally got his hands on one of his sport’s biggest prizes.

Swift sprinted to victory in Norwich to earn the national jersey and in scenes similar to the ones in whch his cousin Connor was greeted 12 months earlier in Northumberland, embraced team-mates and family members alike as the realisation of the accomplishment dawned on him.

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Swift has had a stellar career, earning podium finishes at Monument Classics like Milan-San Remo and a top-five placing in the world road race championships.

Ben Swift rounds the final bend on his way to the British National championship in Norwich (Picture: Zac Williams/SWPix.com)Ben Swift rounds the final bend on his way to the British National championship in Norwich (Picture: Zac Williams/SWPix.com)
Ben Swift rounds the final bend on his way to the British National championship in Norwich (Picture: Zac Williams/SWPix.com)

He has also finished on the podium at the British Championships once before, but never won it. However, at last he is able to celebrate being national champion, and in so doing makes it three Yorkshire winners in the last four years after Adam Blythe in 2016 and his younger cousin Connor last year.

What is particulalrly gratifying is that the win comes just four months after a training ride crash in Mallorca left Swift in intensive care.

But the Team Ineos rider has fought back quickly to get back to racing and was rewarded with yesterday’s terrific ride.

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Swift powered past leader and team-mate Ian Stannard in the final two kilometres to take victory in the men’s race.

“It’s been a difficult season with the crashes,” said Swift.

“But I’ve got my rhythm and motivation back after the crash – it’s nice to keep the jersey in the family.

“I massively owe this win to Ian [Stannard] but we all went in there equally and he played his card early but it enabled me to sit and wait and it worked out perfectly.

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“It feels good as I’ve been chasing the win for a number of years.

“I finished in all the other top five places so to eventually get this jersey, I’m really happy.”

Canyon-SRAM’s Alice Barnes rode away from Anna Henderson in the final 200m to win the 136km women’s race to also win the national title for the first time.

The win for Barnes means she becomes the first woman since Emma Pooley in 2010 to win the national road race and time trial titles in the same year.

“I knew I was coming into this with quite good form,” said Barnes.

“My time trial kind of shocked me but to get both [titles] – I can’t really believe it yet.”