Ben Swift is hoping his Giro d'Italia will secure him a new contract at INEOS Grenadiers

Ben Swift did excellent work for his leader, Geraint Thomas, on this Giro d'Italia, tirelessly pedalling at the front of the peloton for hours along Salvatore Puccio. Swift who finished 2nd and 3rd at such race like Milano-Sanremo has silently transitioned to a more modest role in last seasons, but is still a valuable member to INEOS Grenadiers, especially now that there are so many youngsters joining the British team.

“I definitely want to carry on next season,” Swift told The Yorkshire Post from earlier in the Giro d’Italia. “It’s something I’ve been meaning to sit down with the team about, I want to sit down with Rod (Ellingworth), but we’ve both been so busy."

“The way that I handle myself, go about things as a senior figure, leading the team quite a lot… Not necessarily saying ‘do this, do that’ but leading by example."

“But it’s also about taking a bit more responsibility, standing up for the team in training camps when we’re doing our meetings, being a bit more vocal about what myself and the riders expect from the team. The team understand my value in that. We have both said we need to speak.”

“I’m hoping I’ve got many years left. I want to keep going until I don’t enjoy it any more. While I’m still performing, why not?” he says.

“Cycling is the one thing I know and it will be very hard to step away from it and start anew, especially with the passion I’ve got for cycling. I’ll definitely stay in the sport somewhere, but that’s a discussion for a later date.”