Two-time British champion Swift announces retirement ahead of final Tour of Britain

Ben Swift has announced that he will retire from cycling at the end of the 2026 season, bringing to an end an 18-year professional career.

"Yeah, so this is it. I've decided to retire," Swift said. 

"It's been 18 great years, and never really in my wildest dreams thought I'd have such a long career and a successful career along the way. Having grown up as a kid, it was just a dream - it was always something that I never really thought would happen, but I never saw myself doing anything else, you know?"

"I still love riding my bike. I love the training, I love the racing, and I think I decided to finish this year because I still feel like I'm at a high enough level to enjoy the racing.”

Swift turned pro with Team Katusha in 2009 before establishing himself as a staple member of Sky Procycling in 2010. He would remain with the British team for all but two years of his career, after a brief stint with UAE Team Emirates in 2017 and 2018. 

The 38-year-old has amassed 15 professional wins on the road, including two stages of the Tour de Pologne and the Tour Down Under. In addition, Swift finished runner-up at Milan-Sanremo in 2016 and third in 2014, as well as winning the British road race title in 2019 and 2021. 

Swift also spent a large part of his career as a road captain, with his invaluable experience serving the British team well, and will continue to do so for the remaining races of his career. 

"There's still plenty of racing left this year. I've got Tour of Britain, which is obviously my home race. It was my first, technically, professional race. I think it was only right to go back there and do Tour of Britain. I think it'll be my 11th or 12th time riding this race, but it's just so nice to be racing in front of your home crowds on your home soil.”

"So after Tour of Britain, I've got a few more in Italy, which is quite nice to be racing back in Italy. It feels like full circle - that's where the whole journey started."

"We lived in Quarrata in Tuscany in my first six years - my first three years Under-23 and then my first years pro. So I've got a real strong connection to Italy, so I think that really goes quite nicely finishing there and going full circle. 

"And then on to Paris-Tours, so a big one to finish with. So I want to finish kind of on my own terms, on a high, enjoy my racing, and just make the most of it, you know?"