Summary
IT IS one of the biggest races of his life, and Ben Swift admits he let the magnitude of the Tour de France get the better of him. Currently 116th in the overall standings, 47 minutes 43 seconds behind leader Thomas Voeckler after 11 stages, the former Scunthorpe Poly CC rider is satisfied with his position so far. But, making his debut in cycling's prestige event, overcoming the nerves have proved almost as big a challenge as the French terrain. "Everything is so much faster and more nervy," the 23-year-old told the Telegraph. "I was a bit in awe of the whole event at the start because it's been a lifelong dream to get here. "The first few days it really did get to me but I'm used to it now. "We're 11 days into it so I've had 11 days of experience. "Now I'm starting to get into it a bit more.
"It's been good, a bit crazy but exciting at the same time. "There's more nervous energy in this race. There's a lot more tension at every stage. "Everyone wants to be at the front. There's more up for grabs because it means so much. But it makes for exciting racing. "I knew it was going to be harder and faster than any other race, so it's not really harder than I was expecting because this is the hardest race we do. "And we've not really hit the mountains yet, which is when the pain really comes." The loss of Bradley Wiggins, to a broken collarbone, on Friday hit Swift and Team Sky hard. It was hoped the 31-year-old team leader would be in with a shout of a podium finish in Paris on July 24. That dream has now been shattered, but for Swift there is a greater opportunity to secure what would be a prestigious stage win. "The team is a bit disappointed that we lost Bradley to a crash, but that's cycling," said the Rotherham-born star, who finished 113th in yesterday's 11th stage. "I really think he could have had a successful Tour. With it happening so early on, we don't know how far he could have gone.See the full content of this document
Extract
Freedom' in France
"I'm sure he'll be there supporting us when he can and be there in Paris. ...
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