VUELTA 2010: Sickness rules Swift out of Tour of Spain

By Sportsbeat staff

BEN Swift's bid to further underline his potential on another Grand Tour is over after illness swept through the Team Sky camp before the third stage of the Vuelta a Espana.

QUIT: Ben Swift was one of several members of Team Sky to fall sick before the third stage of the Tour of Spain. The British sprinter withdrew after 100km (Team Sky)

Swift, 22, was seventh in the sprint finish that concluded the second stage - the third top ten placing of his fledgling Grand Tour career.

However, less than 24 hours later he was forced out of the race 100km into the 157km third stage between Marbella and Malaga.

Team-mate John-Lee Augustyn also withdrew even earlier in the stage, while Simon Gerrans and three members of Team Sky's backroom staff were sick through the night - a major blow so early in their race debut.

Swift, who won the Tour de Picardie earlier this year, was last week named on both England's road and track team for October's Commonwealth Games.

However, he could be back in the saddle for Team Sky in next month's Tour of Britain, a race where the sprinter announced his potential with victory in the King of the Mountains classification three years ago.

Philippe Gilbert claimed the Vuelta's third stage, bursting clear on an uphill finish while general classification hope Joaquin Rodriguez was just three seconds behind.

Gilbert takes over the leaders red jersey from Great Britain's Mark Cavendish, who will be looking to three flat stages later in the week to add to his tally of Grand Tour victories.