Swift to undergo surgery after Tour de Yorkshire crash

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Ben Swift (Team Sky) will undergo surgery on his shoulder this Wednesday after crashing on it earlier this week. Swift crashed during the opening stage of the Tour de Yorkshire and was forced to abandon. A trip to the hospital revealed that he hadn’t broken anything but had sustained some damage to the joint.

"As soon as I landed I felt it and knew something wasn't right. And because I was at the front when I crashed I got hit a lot from behind. By the time I managed to get up I couldn't move my arm and then the team car came,” Swift told the Team Sky website. "The silver lining was Lars winning the stage and the team obviously looks really strong here. I just hope they can bring it home on the final stage."

Due to the operation and the recovery needed, Swift has had to pull out of the Tour of California where he was due to line up against the likes of Mark Cavendish, Marcel Kittel and Peter Sagan.

Born in Rotherham, the Tour de Yorkshire was Swift’s home race and with him Team Sky had ambitions in the sprints. His teammate Lars-Petter Nordhaug salvaged the day for the team though with victory on stage one, securing his position at the top of the general classification. The Norwegian holds a ten-second lead over Samuel Sanchez (BMC) heading into the final stage.

"The silver lining was Lars winning the stage and the team obviously looks really strong here. I just hope they can bring it home on the final stage,” said Swift. “The race was an incredible experience for as long as it lasted. I've never heard so many people shouting my name before. Even when we were in the most remote areas of the course there were still people there shouting. It's just a shame it ended how it did.

"I've had a lot of great support this week and a lot of people asking how I am after the crash. I really want to thank everyone for that.”