Ben Swift extends Settimana Coppi e Bartali lead after Sky wins team time trial

Team Sky win afternoon team time trial stage 1b to extend Ben Swift's lead at the top of the general classification

Team Sky on stage two of the Coppi & Bartoli week

(Image credit: Watson)

Ben Swift extended his overall lead in the Settimana Coppi e Bartali stage race in Italy on Thursday after Team Sky won the afternoon's stage 1b team time trial.

Swift had sprinted to win the opening stage in the morning to take the early race lead.

Sky came home 15 seconds quicker than second-placed Rusvelo, with Cannondale in third at 18 seconds over the 11.2-kilometre course.

Rotherham rider Swift is enjoying a good run of form after placing third at Milan-San Remo on Sunday. His sprint win in the opening stage is his first victory since 2012.

Swift leads Sky team-mates Peter Kennaugh and Dario Cataldo overall in the UCI 2.1-ranked race which concludes on Sunday, March 30.

Ben Swift wins opening stage of Settimana Coppi e Bartali

Rotherham sprinter Ben Swift follows podium spot in Milan-San Remo with win in Italian stage race

Ben Swift celebrating podium spot in his first Milan-San Remo

Ben Swift says he felt 'better and better' as the 300km Milan-San Remo progressed, eventually placing third

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Nigel Wynn
Former Associate Editor

Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.