Ben Swift (Team Sky) on the podium again(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Ben Swift (Sky).(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Ben Swift (Team Sky) takes the final stage(Image credit: AFP)
Team Sky has confirmed its six-rider squad for the RideLondon – Surrey Classic race in London that will cover much of the route used during last year's Olympic road race and time trial events.
Ben Swift is likely to be the British team's protected rider for the race. He and fellow sprinter Chris Sutton will face Peter Sagan (Cannondale), Milan-San Remo winner Gerald Ciolek (MTN-Qhubeka) in the likely sprint finish on The Mall in central London.
Also named in the Team Sky line-up are: Josh Edmondson, Mathew Hayman, Christian Knees and Gabriel Rasch.
Swift is currently riding the Tour of Poland, which ends on Saturday in Krakow alongside Bradley Wiggins. The Tour of Poland ends with a 37km time trial on Saturday and so Swift faces a dash back to Britain for Sunday's race.
Bradley Wiggins is also competing in Poland but is not named in the Team Sky line-up. He is expected to target the Tour of Britain in mid-September. Mark Cavendish will also miss the London event. He is competing in the Tour of Denmark this week and his Omega-Pharma-Quick Step team is not one of the eight WorldTour teams in the start list.
The race will start in Olympic Park and pass through central London via Canary Wharf before a long loop in the Surrey lanes. The races returns to London on many of the roads used in the Olympic road race, passing Putney Bridge and the Embankment before the sprint up the Mall from Buckingham Palace.
The RideLondon – Surrey Classic will be shown live on BBC and British Eurosport.
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Stephen is one of the most experienced members of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. Before becoming Editor-at-large, he was Head of News at Cyclingnews. He has previously worked for Shift Active Media, Reuters and Cycling Weekly. He is a member of the Board of the Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme (AIJC).
