BEN SWIFT believes some riders in the peloton are going to get a shock when the Tour de Yorkshire gets under way tomorrow.

The Team Sky rider, born in Rotherham, is revelling in the chance to ride on familiar roads after missing out on selection for the Tour de France, and the Grand Depart in Yorkshire, last year.

Among the favourites for glory, Swift believes the result of the race is by no means assured and, with the riders likely to encounter all kinds of weather and a variety of different terrains, he has told them to underestimate the three-stage event at their peril.

“A lot of people are going to get a shock,” he said. “I’ve heard some people predict a bunch sprint on stage one to Scarborough, but that’s no foregone conclusion.

“The coast road going towards the finish is really lumpy, and the last climb above Robin Hood’s Bay is really steep. Then there’s the wind: it could be blowing a hoolie.

“The ideal scenario for me on that day would be getting away with a small group of strong guys, then contesting the sprint to perhaps pick up some bonus seconds.”

Swift added: “Stage two is probably the only predictable day. That’s pretty much a certain bunch sprint. I’ll probably throw myself in there, but it’s not going to be easy with Marcel Kittel racing.

“Then we’ve got the third day, which is going to be really hard. After the first climb up Holmfirth, the hills come thick and fast. They may not all be that hard but the succession of them will make it a really tough day, plus the weather could always be a factor on the hills, because they’re exposed.

"It’s another day for Classics riders. I’d expect Greg Van Avermaet to be up there, hopefully with me.”

Having won a stage and finished in second overall in the Settimana Coppi e Bartali in March, the Englishman feels refreshed and in good form. Swift says the Tour de Yorkshire is bound to be a big show.

“This already feels like a massive race, no doubt because of the Tour last year,” he said. “It took the Tour of Britain quite a few years to build up momentum, but this already feels big.

“Cycling in Yorkshire is just massive now. The number of people out on bikes at weekends is just mind-blowing. It’s hard to say how much of that is down to the Tour, because cycling was already booming, but I’m sure it’s a big part of it."

"I’ve done a few recons and I’ve seen the atmosphere out on the roads already. There’s bunting everywhere, there are bikes painted – I think everybody is just really getting behind it again,” he added.

“That’s the great thing about British fans, they really grasp it and I think the Yorkshire folk are really proud to have this race here and they’re taking hold of it.

“You have only got to look round here to see how beautiful Yorkshire is, especially when the sun is shining.

“It’s hard roads, I’ve had a look at the circuits and it’s definitely going to be a hard three days, but we get to see some beautiful places.”

* Yorkshire Bank has agreed a three-year sponsorship of the coveted sprinter’s jersey at the Tour de Yorkshire.

The event builds on the legacy of the Tour de France and follows the ground-breaking Yorkshire Bank Bike Libraries initiative.

This partnership signifies the bank’s commitment to increasing the access to cycling across the county - visit www.ybonline.co.uk