Doncaster's Connor Swift to make dream debut in Tour de France

Swift, from Thorne, has enjoyed a rapid rise to prominence after winning the British National Championships in 2018.

The 24-year-old has been chosen to race alongside yellow jersey contender Nairo Quintana for French ProTeam Arkéa-Samsic, who he joined last year after previously riding for Madison Genesis in the UK.

Swift told Cycling Weekly: “I sat down with the sports director and we went through the race programme I’d be doing. Then he mentioned the Tour and just kind of slipped it into normal conversation.

“It was like ‘then you ride the Tour’ and I was like ‘oh bloody hell’.

“I haven’t even done a full professional cycling year yet.

“If you said to me at the beginning of 2019 I’d be riding the Tour de France and I’d be team-mates with Quintana – it’s crazy how things unfold.

“I’ve dreamt of wanting to ride this race,” he added.

“Especially during Covid everyone’s wanting to race because they don’t know if there’s going to be a season after it.

“It’s just massive to even get a place there.”

The Tour, which starts this Saturday, will only be Swift’s fifth WorldTour race of his blossoming career, following appearances in RideLondon and the Hamburg Cyclassics last year, and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Paris-Nice in 2020.

He will be one of four Brits competing in this year’s race, alongside Adam Yates, Luke Rowe and Hugh Carthy.

Earlier this year Swift rode his own solo version of the Tour de Yorkshire after the event was postponed and chronicled his progress on social media.