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A dream come trueRoad cycling by Ben Swift - GB cyclist (U9721891) 22 October 2008   Ben Swift’s season has finally come to an end with the Road World Championships - where he finished fourth in the Under-23 road race - after which his life begins a new chapter as he prepares for his first year as a professional rider, with the Russian team, Katyusha. McEwen came over, introduced himself and said he knew me! Although I’ve now signed for the Katyusha professional team, my life hasn’t changed much yet, although I’m expecting big changes going from the GB Team to a professional squad. There’s already been a big change: in the GB academy team, it’s such a good programme, they arrange everything for you. But in the pro team you’ve got to do everything on your own – they tell you where to be and you’ve got to be there.I’ve met the team already. It was a bit weird at first, sat opposite Robbie McEwen at dinner because he was one of my heroes, growing up. But he came over, introduced himself and said he knew me! They’ve all made me feel really welcome. The team language is Italian, though, so I’m going to have to learn some more! I will still be based in Italy but I’m going to moving into an apartment with Geraint Thomas in Pistoia, in Tuscany, where we both live already. I would love to ride a Grand Tour like the Tour de France, or one of the Classics I’m not feeling very ‘flush’ as a result of joining the team, but I do feel very grateful for the opportunity, and excited to be part of a professional team, which for me is a dream come true! I can remember as a very young kid watching the races on the TV then going out on the streets and racing with my mates, pretending to be professionals and copying the victory salute of whoever had won that day. So, to now be a pro rider is fantastic. I imagine that my role in the team will be as a domestique, as I am a ‘neo-pro’ going into my first season. At this time I don’t know what races I will be riding, but I would love to ride a Grand Tour like the Tour de France, or one of the Classics. I’ve got the pro contract, now I want to get a start in a big race. Once I’ve got that chance, I want to put in a really good performance in whatever role I’m given, for the benefit of the team... so it’s one step at a time. I will be back on the bike again mid-November to start winter training on my own but the team will have training camps. I’ll probably also spend some time training around Manchester with Geraint and the other GB lads. But right now, my season is over and I am hoping to have a holiday, get some sun and some rest! I look forward to your comments and questions – I promise to try to reply, but I hope you can appreciate that it’s not always easy to get the time and the internet access. Latest comments
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comment by
omgidbi (U8078647) posted Oct 22, 2008 Ben - a great and determined ride at the worlds - congratulations on your 4th place.
comment by
Austrian_Jez (U8329092) posted Oct 23, 2008 Ben - would love to hear more about your training over the winter, and how you "tune up" for the season in early 2009 !
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enjoy_the_ride_again (U12685150) posted Oct 23, 2008 '... I’m not feeling very ‘flush’ as a result of joining the team...'
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mttvrtn (U13324295) posted Oct 23, 2008 One thing that is surprising about pro-cycling is how little the athletes are paid relative to, say, professional footballers. Domestiques are the real heros since they have to sacrifice much without signficant financial reward, and the team leader couldn't win without them. Makes me appreciate their commitment even more...
comment by
MayMaggot (U12772646) posted Oct 24, 2008 Good luck in future Ben! Would love to see you at the tour or something. We're there any other teams who wanted you? Why did you decide katyusha was the team for you? God how I long to be a pro.
comment by
stleger610 (U13651205) posted Oct 24, 2008 Re pay.
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andy_wrx (U11137316) posted Oct 28, 2008 If you want to get that training in in Manchester and Geraint's busy, just give us a shout and I'll come out.
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omgidbi (U8078647) posted Oct 28, 2008 Any idea of the impact likely on the team following Tinkovs departure?
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ArnaudFrochet (U10143476) posted Mar 2, 2009 10th in the GP dell'Insubria and 8th in the GP di Lugano ... What a great start to your first pro season!
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