Briton rules himself out of team pursuit selection
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Geraint Thomas, Brad Wiggins and Ben Swift with the Pinarello Dogma 2(Image credit: AFP)
Ben Swift (Great Britain) is the new scratch race world champion.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Ben Swift in his new jersey.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
As he finalises his preparation for the 2012 Giro d'Italia, which starts in Denmark next weekend, Team Sky's Ben Swift has revealed that he has abandoned any ambitions to be part of the Team GB track team at the London 2012 Olympics and will instead focus his energy on qualifying for the road race team.
The 24-year-old was part of the Great Britain team that went to the 2012 Track World Championships in Melbourne earlier this month, and he came away with gold in the scratch race and a pair of silvers from the madison and the points race. However, he wasn't part of the Great Britain team pursuit squad that won gold and smashed the world record and he has admitted defeat in his quest to force his way into that team ahead of the Games this summer.
"I gave it my best shot," he told Cycling Weekly. "We decided straight from the off that we'd see how it goes at the World Cup and then reassess, and then see how it goes at the Worlds and then reassess again. I was disappointed not to ride [in the team pursuit], but then again it gave me the opportunity to ride the races I've always loved, it's nice to go out on a bit of a high.
"I don't think there's much more I could have done. Now it's a case of giving myself enough time to try and get selected for the road team."
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