Ben Swift can bounce back from latest injury, says Sir Dave Brailsford
Yorkshireman set for third operation on right shoulder
Last Updated: 05/05/15 12:04pm
Team Sky principal Sir Dave Brailsford is confident Ben Swift can bounce back from the latest in a series of injuries to his right shoulder.
Swift was the British squad’s leader at the Tour de Yorkshire last weekend but was forced to abandon the race after a crash on stage one.
The 27-year-old fell heavily on his right shoulder on a wet right-hand turn and although he avoided a fracture, he damaged the joint and will undergo surgery on Wednesday.
It will be the third time Swift has had an operation on the shoulder, having twice gone under the knife following a dislocation in 2012.
“It’s really disappointing for Ben because he is a fantastic character,” Brailsford told Sky Sports News HQ. “He had a really bad shoulder injury not so long ago, had an operation and spent months coming back.
“Unfortunately he slid off on a corner and he has injured that shoulder again, and so it might need a good couple of months to recover, so it’s disappointing for Ben.
“He heals quickly, he does know how to do rehab and if anybody can recover, he will.”
Brailsford is also confident that Chris Froome can get back to his best in time for July’s Tour de France after once again falling short of top form at last week’s Tour de Romandie.
Froome had won the race in the past two years but could only finish third this year after struggling in the final stage’s individual time trial.
Brailsford said: “He had a good start to the season but he then got ill, so we pulled him out of one of the big races [Tirreno-Adriatico] to recover and get his health back.
“He then went to the Tour of Catalonia, and he was a long way off his best there. He then went across to Tenerife and trained at altitude and put a good block of training together, and then he has stepped into the Tour de Romandie.
“There was one key mountain stage – very hard stage – and he was very good on that stage, and that’s a great sign. In terms of his trajectory and his fitness and where it is heading, we are feeling pretty positive.”
