Ben Swift poised for emotional swansong as Tour of Britain sweeps through Yorkshire

Two decades ago on his debut in the event, the race skirted his home town of Rotherham on a stage that went from Sheffield to Bradford.

Twelve months later, stage four began almost on the doorstep of the then 19-year-old, at Rother Valley Country Park.

In a portent of things to come over the next 19 years in cycling, Swift went into that day’s racing wearing the climber’s jersey, something he would hold onto through Yorkshire that afternoon and for the rest of the race.

In Lincoln today he lines up for his latest and potentially last Tour of Britain at the age of 38 in the colours of Netcompany Ineos.

He has spoken recently of “getting towards the end of my career” as he eyes a position as a sporting director.

If it is to be the swansong of this stalwart of the British cycling scene then he has picked a fitting place to bring the curtain down, with stages in Lincoln today, Skegness tomorrow and his native Yorkshire on days three and four – Hull to Beverley on Friday, Helmsley to Leyburn on Saturday.

Today’s opening stage in particular – a 182km jaunt around the Lincolnshire countryside that starts and ends in the cathedral city – will bring back fond memories for Swift, for it was in Lincoln five years ago that he won the British road race title for the second time, successfully defending the title he won in the year before Covid.

The man he succeeded as national champion was his cousin, Connor Swift of Doncaster, who he lines up alongside for Ineos over the next five days.

The British squad – not as formidable as they were in their Team Sky days – are one of six World Tour teams in the peloton, lining up next to UAE Team Emirates and Soudal Quick-Step who send teams confident of prevailing in the general classification race.

Wakefield's Ollie Wood rides for the Great Britain national team. There are 18 teams in total.