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The Graduates – Ben Swift & Peter Kennaugh

Story posted January 9, 2010 | by Larry Hickmott

Related Features:  Russell Downing | Team Launch |

In the Team Sky line-up for 2010 are no less than five graduates from the Great Britain Cycling Team development programmes. If you expand that even further, all of the British riders except for Chris Froome have been full time riders for the Great Britain Cycling team at one time or another.

What is telling though is how those five graduates from the GB Under 23 programmes are now part of the newest and biggest British pro team ever. Steve Cummings is in his sixth year as a pro and rode with the first incarnation of a GB Under 23 development team. The other four, Ian Stannard, Geraint Thomas, Ben Swift and Peter Kennaugh have all come through the Olympic Under 23 Men’s Endurance Academy under the guidance of Team Sky staff Rod Ellingworth and Max Sciandri.

Each of those riders has graduated from the Academy at different times into the pro ranks with Peter Kennaugh the youngest. Then there is Ben Swift who is only in his second year as a pro and these two, Kennaugh and Swift, share a common result in their palmeres, that of finishing fourth in the Under 23 World Road Race championships. Peter in 2009 and Ben in 2008.

Interviewing both, they also share that determination to make it as a pro and not just to be a working professional, but to be a winning professional rider capable of crossing that finish line first. For 2010, the season will be quite different for the former Academy roommates.

Whilst Peter, a rookie pro, is keen to prove himself in 2010, Ben has already been through that process during his first professional season (2009) with Katusha. Because of that, he is now more confident in his ability within the pro ranks while Peter will be looking to make the same impact that Ben did in his first year.

So whilst the attention of the world will be on the likes of Wiggins and Boasson Hagen to name but two of the team’s big hitters, I’m quietly confident these rising stars in the pro ranks will also make a name for themselves and I spoke to both of them at the team launch in London.

INTERVIEWS

Ben Swift

The twenty two year old rider from Rotherham in South Yorkshire is another example of the great talent this country has in cycling.

Ben has been a member of the GB team for many years and has a best placing of 4th at the Under 23 Road Race Worlds and last year as a professional rookie, Ben won his first pro race in the Tour of Britian. - read the interview

Peter Kennaugh

One of the most promising young talents to emerge from Britain in years, Peter Kennaugh, will take his first steps as a professional with Team Sky this year.

Peter was a rider who stood out on the Great Britain academy and his ride in the 2009 Under 23 World Road Race Championships was certainly one of pure class. He was fourth but on a course that has been described as the toughest for many a year, he showed that he had it what it takes to ride with the very best -- read the interview