Connor Swift rising to the challenge of supporting Arkea-Samsic’s Nairo Quintana at the Tour de France

“The team presentation, the press at the start and finish of every stage, the length of the stages each day,” says the wide-eyed 24-year-old from Doncaster.

“Just the scale of it is phenomenal, obviously bigger than anything I’ve ever raced in before.”

He has survived the first four days of the Tour de France, to the extent where he can look ahead with optimism for the two and a half weeks that lie ahead as he his Arkea Samsic team-mates attempt to steer Nairo Quintana into the yellow jersey.

Such a notion seemed unthinkable for Swift just three weeks ago, let alone three years ago, back when he was a 21-year-old rider on a British pro-continental team.

But his stunning victory in the 2018 national road race championships set the wheels in motion and his patient approach has been rewarded.

Swift eschewed the overtures of World Tour teams to stay loyal to Madison Genesis before taking the chance when Arkea Samsic from the French region of Brittany came calling a year ago.

Still, the Tour de France was never on his radar, not until a performance at the Paris-Nice race prior to the coronavirus shutdown caught the attention of the team’s heirarchy.

“Ever since Paris-Nice it was always in my mind because the team had said how happy they were with me,” he told The Yorkshire Post following yesterday’s fourth stage. “Even when they finally told me I was going to the Tour, I still refused to believe it until the official team announcement came through.

“It’s been a crazy year, unbelievable how fast things have changed.

“Where I am, and the race I’m in now, I could never have envisaged a year ago.”

Swift’s role is simple – do everything he can to get Colombian Quintana – a former Tour runner-up – into position on the general classification.

“Whether that’s fetching him bottles, fetching him food, or protecting him in the cross-winds which will be key on stages 10 and 11, that’s what I’ve got to do,” said Swift, whose longest race prior to the 21 days of Le Tour was the eight days of the Tour of Britain.

“Ultimately for me I want to get to Paris, and along the way help the team as much as I can and be fully committed.

“Stage three was a day for the sprinters and supposed to be a nice easy day, but even that was five hours in the saddle.

“And then today, it was the first summit finish. For Nairo to get up there in fourth was a great result for the team and we’re heading to the hotel happy.”

The 160.5km stage from Sisteron to Orcieres-Merlette saw the Tour dip a toe into the Alps unusually early and cap it with a summit finish, though the final climb was not one to compare with those to come in the third week of the race.

Quintana came fourth behind Slovenian Primoz Roglic who reaffirmed his status as one of the favourites. Julian Alaphillipe retains the yellow jersey, Quintana is ninth, 17 seconds back. Swift is 120th and delighted to be involved.

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James Mitchinson