Conor Swift (GBR) showed his versatility on the bike when he finished third overall in the 2023 UCI Gravel World Championships. He will be the British gravel champion at this year's Gravel World Championships in Belgium.

Swift, the winner of The Glaroch and runner-up in the Grachan Simurgh in Wales, earned points on Sunday for a second row start in his second Gravel World Championship in Halle. in a starting list of nearly 200 elite riders. front of the grid will give him an advantage in his bid for a podium finish.

“I think the start, especially this first 8km, is pretty crazy compared to the rest of the course. I think positioning is the most important thing in the first 40km compared to the rest of the course. You go straight down the canal road and then you go into a farmer's field and it's singletrack and there's a long line of 290 elite riders. So you don't want to be last,” said Swift, who has spent the last few days in Belgium inspecting the entire course.

“We picked a point where it's really important to be in the top 10. And there are sections where you can relax a little bit. Heading into the actual finish lap, it's like a quasi-road race.

“So if you want to go it alone, you have to pick your timing, because if you're in a group of five or less, it's going to be harder to pull away and catch up to the rest of the pack. So I don't want to make a move like leaving without me.”

Swift has been regularly on the move in his second road season with Ineos Grenadiers, assisting Geraint Thomas to third place overall in this year's Giro d'Italia as a domestique. On the gravel roads, he will be monitoring the action for his chances.

“In road racing, I benefit a lot from being in the peloton. Because it's off-road, the athlete on wheels has to generate much higher power. So it's a tougher, more draining day. I think that suits me,” he told Cycling News.

“So the work I do on the road works to my advantage in gravel. On singletrack and little gravel corners, it always works like a rubber band. You just have to put some power in the front and then it's the elastic band effect. It's really fun. It's something different.”

Now 28 and in his ninth professional season, he is under contract for two more seasons at Ineos. His new contract runs through 2026.

“Obviously there is the (gravel) World Championships at the end of the season. It gives me a goal to stay fit and keep training.”

“I also compete in other gravel races during the season. I enjoy it.”

He described the typical gravel scenario as just himself and his immediate family: “I have to get up an extra half hour early because I have a load to carry in the car. Because I have a load to carry to the car, I have to make breakfast, I have to put the baby to bed, and my wife has to run around trying to find a double espresso before the start. Obviously, I'm still super serious.” The warm temperatures and sunny skies in Belgium meant that they did not need to clear for mud, so they were able to fit 40mm tires for the 182km World Championship race.

“The X is very similar to my road bike, the F. It's a very good bike. So there is no big difference between the bikes. It's a very nice bike.

The special care he receives at the World Championships is unique, he admitted, but he makes the most of his “sole leader” status.

“I think I was under a little bit more pressure this year because I was by myself with my wife and son at the other gravel races.

“There are three people who make sure my bike is clean, my bike is ready, and they arrange everything, including transportation, hotels, and food. So there is a lot of pressure on the team leader. It motivates me."

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