After undergoing surgery today for a damaged shoulder joint sustained during stage one of the Tour de Yorkshire, Sky manager Dave Brailsford has said Ben Swift will return better than ever once he has healed up.

“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.”

“He heals quickly, he does know how to do rehab and if anybody can recover, he will.”

“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.”

Swift was in fine form after taking a stage and finishing second overall in the Coppi e Bartali stage race and had made the Tour de Yorkshire as a big goal, as it was the first edition and he was born in the county.