Ben Swift retires from professional cycling after finishing Paris-Tours

Ben Swift has retired from professional cycling. According to Energy FM, he rode his last race on Sunday 11 October at the 120th edition of the Paris-Tours classic in France.

The 38-year-old’s career spanned almost two decades. He spent 15 years with the British team now known as Netcompany-Ineos, riding for it under its various names.

Energy FM reported that his final weeks in the peloton included a rousing farewell at the Lloyds Tour of Britain last month. Swift rode that race 13 times.

Before starting his last race, Swift described the day’s arrival as a “weird feeling” and thanked the fans who had followed him. “Without you guys, we wouldn’t be able to do what we’re doing,” he said, adding that riders read many of the messages of support.

His final season included a significant ride in Manx colours. At the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this summer, he played a key part in Matt Bostock’s gold medal in the 40km points race, which Energy FM described as historic for the island.

Glasgow was his second Games for the Isle of Man. At Birmingham in 2022 he finished 15th in the road race and was the first Manx rider across the line.

Swift won 15 professional road races, including two British national road race titles, in 2019 and 2021.

A sprinter, he finished on the podium twice at Milan-San Remo, one of the sport’s most prestigious one-day races. He also won stages at the Tour of Britain, the Tour Down Under and the Tour de Pologne.

In 2016 he was part of the Great Britain squad that helped Mark Cavendish win silver at the World Championships in Qatar.

He represented Great Britain in the road race at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Much of his success in British colours, however, came on the track. Energy FM said he won a number of world, European and national titles in the velodrome.