He’s been top three in Qatar, Nokere Koerse, the Giro, the Pais Vasco – and now he’s finally stood on the podium step that gives you the best view of all. We spoke to Tour of Britain stage seven winner; 21 year-old Ben Swift (GB & Katyusha) on Monday morning.
PEZ: Your first pro win, congratulations, Ben.
Ben: Yeah, it was pretty special; I’ve been chasing it all year! The Worlds will be my last race of the year, so it’s a good way to end the season - I’ll be starting the 2010 season on a high.
PEZ: You must have used up all your bad luck on stages two, three and four.
Ben: Definitely! Stage five went well, I helped Pozzato in the finale – he was second to Boasson Hagen. Then on stage six, I was in the break with Geraint Thomas (GB & Barloworld) and Ian Stannard (GB & ISD) – it’s one of the best breaks I’ve ever been in; but Columbia wouldn’t let us go. It was late when they got us back, but we made them work for it!
PEZ: Was there a plan, before the stage?
Ben: I was designated sprinter for the day, yes.
PEZ: Talk us through the finale.
Ben: In the last 10 K there were a lot of attacks coming; there was a GPM which started at six to go, that suited me because it made it tough. Geraint Thomas attacked on the climb and it was lined out over the top, then he was caught. Karpets took over for us and the Pozzato lead me out through the bends, I came off his wheel with 150 yards to go.
PEZ: I heard it was a bit hairy in the finale?
Ben: Yeah, the corners were a bit dodgy, one guy who was on my wheel came down – we slid out and clipped the barriers, but I knew that if I held Pozzato’s wheel then I’d be OK.
PEZ: The Italian champion and Primavera winner leading you out!
Ben: That gave it the edge; he was so happy for me after the finish, too.
PEZ: Does Robbie McEwen coach you on your sprinting?
Ben: Not so much coaching but he gives me little tips, now and again. He’s actually the only guy on the squad that I haven’t raced with this season – due to his injuries. He helped me a lot at the first team meet, he made the effort to come over and talk to me – he knew who I was and what my results were. It’s really special because when I was a youngster, I had a picture of him on my wall; and here I am in the same team, getting advice from him.
PEZ: You’ll have been the centre of attention since the win?
Ben: Yeah, yeah, I nearly missed the start in London! But it’s nice and it comes with the territory.
PEZ: How was stage eight; the final one into London?
Ben: I was a little tired after stage seven; I was sore all day with being in the break all day on stage six – that day was constantly up and down. My job was to help Napolitano but I couldn’t get to him to help him get position – the last five kilometres were really fast and it was hard to move up.
PEZ: Champagne or Russian Vodka to celebrate your win?
Ben: Champagne – I think that it has to be a full complement of Russian riders on the race before we get into the vodka!
PEZ: What are you doing between the Tour of Britain and Worlds?
Ben: Resting really, we travel to Mendrisio on Thursday; I’ll train four or five hours on Wednesday but the Tour of Britain was a really hard race, so rest is important.
PEZ: You’ve been round the Worlds course, what do you think?
Ben: Super hard! I think there will only be about 20 finishers, there are 19 laps with two climbs each lap – that’s 38 climbs giving 4,600 metres of climbing. It’s basically up, down, up, down – off the first descent, there’s a dead corner at the bottom; if you’re not in the first 20 you’ll be stopped. Off the second climb there’s about two-and-a-half kilometres to the finish; it’s very deceptive – open, exposed and will be extremely hard on the last laps.
PEZ: Who’s GB team leader?
Ben: We’ll be talking about that in detail when we all meet, but it’s liable to be David Millar, he won the time trial in the Vuelta and is obviously in very good form.
PEZ: Who’s your Worlds favourite?
Ben: It’s hard to bet against Valverde, Cunego will there be too – I think it’ll be a group of five or six at the finish.
PEZ: Those ‘Swift to Sky’ rumours aren’t going away.
Ben: No, no, maybe next year, though!
***
With thanks to Ben for his time and wishing him ‘all the best’ for Sunday.
I’m just digging out from a few days at the BMC training camp, and while I won’t be reporting on doing Jaeger-bombs and Redbulls with Cadel & George, ... More....
When the now defunct Belgian newspaper Het Volk first organized Omloop Het Volk in 1945 to capitalize on the growing popularity of bicycling racing ... More....
When you get an invite from the nation’s premier component maker to join a metric century in wine country that is fully catered, you grab the clean ... More....
Six Day racing comes to Berlin for the 99th time on Thursday, 28th January, 2010 with the great tradition of winter track racing in Germany in a ... More....
One more day, one more sprint! Sky had the goods to finish the week Down Under the same way they started: 1-2. The rest of the favorites were hot on ... More....
American Classic spent the last couple of years reworking their line up and the 420 Aeros are the latest to leave the bench. Take a look at the new ... More....
A couple years in the making, Pez head up to see arguably the top custom builder on the planet. We hit Serotta's NY shop, take a peek at their ... More....
You’ve still got today and all of tomorrow to ‘git ‘er done! Your holiday shopping that is… and armed with the complete set of 4 gift guides ... More....
If the stocking's not full - somebody's not doing their job. Good thing we're here to help with a big ol' bag full of the kind of stuff we'd love to ... More....
Winter riding is almost upon us - except for you lucky Aussies - and that means less riding outdoors. But with an indoor trainer and a Netflix ... More....
Many ergogenic aids, both legal and illegal, have been touted as the magic bullet that will improve cycling performance. What about something that ... More....
Having goals is one of the important first steps in achieving your dreams. They can be small goals or they can be big goals, but without them you’ll ... More....
Is cycling your religion, or at least one of them? If so, you’re not alone. Many people define themselves as “spiritual,” even if they don’t practice ... More....
Post-Giro Roadside: I love Scotland; but there’s no Gazzetta in the morning, most of the coffee tastes like John Wayne brewed it beside the ... More....
Sunday July 20th 1969; that’s 40 years ago now but I remember it clearly as the day that I first became aware of professional bicycle racing – I was ... More....
Roadside Recap: As we make our merry way through the rounds of the PEZ Looks Back, Ed is up for his retrospective on the Tour that was. As the ... More....
Coming on four years ago, Saul Raisin was one of THE big things in US pro cycling. Top 40 in a hard Tour de Suisse and mountain king at the Tour de ... More....
The last time we spoke to Garmin's Steve Cozza was after the 2008 Paris - Tours; where he produced another solid performance from a consistent and ... More....
Just about to start his second season with Cervélo - thanks to strong Classic rides and his first Grand Tour finish, in the Giro - Englishman, Dan ... More....
In October, nine-time Tour de France rider Frankie Andreu announced that he would be Director Sportif of the Ohio-based KENDA Pro Cycling p/b ... More....
With so many (too many?) others looking back to best-of-2009 or decade highlights, why not look ahead? A new decade beckons, after all, so who better ... More....
We first talked with Lostende Bike Tours owner and avid cyclist Allan Reeves about his Pyrenees Cycling Challenge, from the Atlantic to the ... More....
So, riding in Texas is mostly flat, with only tumbleweeds and armadillos to avoid right? Well, not exactly. You see, Austin is situated in what’s ... More....
I’m just digging out from a few days at the BMC training camp, and while I won’t be reporting on doing Jaeger-bombs and Redbulls with Cadel & George, ... More....
When the now defunct Belgian newspaper Het Volk first organized Omloop Het Volk in 1945 to capitalize on the growing popularity of bicycling racing ... More....
When you get an invite from the nation’s premier component maker to join a metric century in wine country that is fully catered, you grab the clean ... More....
Race report: Alejandro Valverde stayed upright to seal his Vuelta victory – the first Grand Tour win of his career. On such a short stage, ... More....
Race Report: Today David Millar won his 5th stage in all his Vuelta’s, he was given one of the swords that Toledo is famous for along with the ... More....
Updated! Hallelujah, they're racing in Qatar, and I just got back from celebrating with every other New Orleanian on Bourbon Street. There's ... More....
It was a dark Sunday morning in Italy when the news services announced that Franco Ballerini, ex-professional, former dual Paris-Roubaix winner and ... More....
The maracas shake, 'Cara mia, mine !' blasts from the PA. Bang! The little cannon fires and the hall fills with smoke. Yes, this is the right place, ... More....
When the K-Mart Classic of West Virginia stormed through the state in the mid-90s, it opened awareness as to just how great the bike riding is in ... More....
Roadside St. 14 When you start each new Giro you understand you’re a year older. You feel a stranger to the village approach and for a moment ... More....
As the final Madison got underway the arena was packed to the rafters, all the talk of Six Days in crisis forgotten for now. The finale was ... More....
Professional cycling has, over the years, attracted only a few documentary film makers. A few, such as Jorgen Leth’s “A Sunday in Hell,” have even ... More....
![](javascript:showpic("http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/tech/amclass/amc420alarge.jpg",900,698);)
![](javascript:showpic("http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/tech/serotta/meilarge.jpg",2000,1244);)
