Swift expected to lead Team Sky at the RideLondon – Surrey Classic

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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.