Injury update: Swift on classics comeback

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Crashing out on the final race at the Challenge Mallorca hasn't hampered Ben Swift's classics campaign, according to the Sky Procycling rider who fell on the descent of the Coll d'Honor during the Trofeo Platja de Muro. Swift, who has no recollection of the fall, underwent medical examination following the incident and has been given the all clear, despite significant bruising and superficial wounds.

"I don't remember anything about the crash itself and my first recollections are of a paramedic and doctor standing over me," said Swift on teamsky.com.

"After being taken for assessment at a local hospital I flew back to the UK and have undergone some pretty detailed scans in the time since then. Fortunately they've shown no broken bones and no significant head injuries, so there won't be much time off the bike.

"I've experienced a lot of swelling around my knees, and they're still hurting, but once that goes down I should be good to go again."

The minor setback was all the more frustrating for the young Brit who seemed within striking distance of taking his first win of the season during the final race of Challenge Mallorca. Swift had picked up a third-place at Trofeo Palma and followed that with two top-ten's in the following days Migjorn and Deia. The victory at Platja however, seemed a real possibility for Swift who had been one of the few sprinters to make the selection on the day's final climb.

"The most annoying thing about the whole week is knowing that I was in with a great chance of getting a big result on the day I crashed," said Swift. "I'd been climbing really well and had done all the hard work by getting over the day's two climbs in a really good position. There were only about 30-40 guys left in the bunch and I fancied my chances on the flat finish into Alcudia because most of the other sprinters had been shelled.

"Now I'm concentrating on getting myself back to full fitness and hopefully that'll come in time for the start of the Classics. I'll spend a week or so recovering at home and then fly back out to Mallorca for a training camp with the Classics group which has just been riding in Qatar. It'll be fun to meet up with them and the aim is to be back in business at Het Nieuwsblad on February 23."