Cycle star's impressive return

The Team Sky rider had been out of action since a shoulder injury sustained at Tour de Yorkshire in May and looked perfectly positioned for a winning comeback, having made the decisive eight-man break with around 37-kilometres left to race of Sunday’s race.

But the sprint didn’t work out in the favour of the Yorkshireman and sprinter Jean-Pierre Drucker of BMC Racing took his opportunity on the Mall, narrowly pipping Team LottoNL – Jumbo’s Mike Teunissen.

The foundations for Swift's second consecutive podium finish in the event were laid as attacks fired on Box Hill. Following the moves the Team Sky rider was able to take advantage of a stretched peloton to eventually head into the final 40km in a group of eight riders.

"It was a nice race to come back," said Swift. "It was an aggressive last 50km and then a super aggressive last 10km. I just started to cramp a little and I was just lacking that final bit - but hopefully each race I do I'll get that bit stronger and get that racing rhythm back.”

The North Anston ace now competes in the Tour of Denmark before flying out to Brazil for the Olympic test event.