Commonwealth Games hero Ben Swift has retired from professional cycling, bringing down the curtain on a career spanning almost two decades.
The 38-year-old hung up his wheels yesterday after finishing the 120th edition of the storied Paris-Tours classic, having received a rapturous farewell at the Lloyds Tour of Britain last month, a race he competed in on 13 occasions.
Earlier this summer, in the colours of the Isle of Man, Swift played an instrumental role in helping teammate Matt Bostock record a historic gold medal in the 40km Points Race at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
It was the Netcompany-Ineos rider’s second appearance under the triskelion flag, having been the island’s first finisher in the road race at the 2022 Birmingham games, where he secured an impressive 15th place finish.
Prior to joining the peloton for the final time, Swift described the arrival of the day as a “weird feeling” but showed his gratitude to the fans who supported him, saying: “Just a big thank you. We read a lot of the messages, a lot of the support, and without you guys, we wouldn’t be able to do what we’re doing.”
Not Short of Success
Swift won 15 professional road races over the course of his career, including twice being crowned national champion in 2019 and 2021. The Yorkshire-born sprinter was twice on the podium in Milan-San Remo, one of cycling’s most prestigious races, and bagged stage wins at the Tour of Britain, Tour Down Under and Tour de Pologne.
He was also a member of the Great Britain team which helped fellow Manxman Mark Cavendish win the silver medal at the 2016 World Championships in Qatar.
He competed in the road race for team GB at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but the majority of his success in British colours came in the velodrome, where he won a host of World, European and National titles.