It looks like Team Sky have indeed been able to secure the services of 22-year-old Ben Swift for the 2010 season. As with former Garmin-Transitions rider Bradley Wiggins, there has been plenty of speculation about whether the young British talent would have to wait until 2011 to ride for the ProTour team.
Tomorrow is the official presentation for Team Sky in London, and several Dutch websites have released promotional pictures of Swift, as well as other known Sky signings, kitted up in Team Sky colors.
VeloNation reported earlier today that Swift was left off of the Russian Katusha team roster for 2010, where he was contracted to stay through the year. Team Sky principal David Brailsford had actively been recruiting the young rider, and the team went as far as to include Swift on its Santos Tour Down Under roster.
Katusha team manager Andrei Tchmil has openly criticized the new British team's recruitment tactics, and several others in the peloton have also expressed their disappointment in the manner with which Bradley Wiggins was recruited.
"I think it's very bad that a new team like Sky goes around thinking they can buy up riders who are under contract,” Tchmil said in November. “It's something we never did last year out of a matter of principle. Contracts exist because they have to be respected."
Katusha recently signed Russian Alexandr Kolobnev after he managed to end his contract with Saxo Bank a year early. It is unclear, however, if the transfer was connected to the financial issues with the Saxo Bank team.
With the series of events one could expect the official announcement of the Ben Swift signing tomorrow. If not, then Team Sky really does like to plan in advance.
The riders pictured in the image are as follows: Ben Swift (Katusha), Dario Cioni (ISD), Edvald Boasson Hagen (Columbia-HTC), Davide Vigano (Fuji-Lotto), Michael Barry (Columbia-HTC), Juan Antonio Flecha (Rabobank), Sylvain Calzati (Agritubel), Simon Gerrans (Cervelo), John Lee Augustyn (Barloworld), and Greg Henderson (Columbia-HTC)
Team Sky's roster for 2010:
Kurt Asle Arvesen (Saxo Bank )
John Lee Augustyn (Barloworld)
Michael Barry (Columbia-HTC)
Edvald Boasson Hagen (Columbia-HTC)
Sylvain Calzati (Agritubel)
Kjell Carlstrom (Liquigas)
Dario Cioni (ISD)
Steve Cummings (Barloworld)
Russell Downing (CandiTV )
Juan Antonio Flecha (Rabobank)
Chris Froome (Barloworld)
Simon Gerrans (Cervelo)
Mathew Hayman (Rabobank)
Greg Henderson (Columbia)
Peter Kennaugh (GB Academy)
Thomas Lövkvist (Columbia-HTC)
Lars Petter Nord Haug (Joker-Bianchi)
Serge Pauwels (Cervelo)
Nicolas Portal (Caisse d'Epargne)
Morris Possoni (Columbia-HTC)
Ian Stannard (ISD)
Chris Sutton (Garmin)
*Ben Swift (Katusha)
Geraint Thomas (Barloworld)
Davide Vigano (Fuji-Lotto)
Bradley Wiggins (Garmin)
* - likely to be confirmed at team presentation on 1/4/2010