The 22-year-old is making his debut at the home UCI ProSeries Tour but is very familiar with the stage four route that took riders from Helmsley to Leyburn.
Smith was born in Hillingdon but now lives near Harrogate in North Yorkshire and finished 58th overall on his home roads, having helped teammate Elliot Rowe into the breakaway.
“It’s local to where I live at the moment so I knew the roads were going to be hard. Mum and dad were out watching, my brother and a few friends that I know,” he said.
“We’re not even looking at the young rider’s jersey [that Rowe is wearing]. We’re just focused on GC because we know that we can be competitors.”
Smith is riding alongside the likes of Commonwealth Games champion Matt Bostock and Olympic medallist Ollie Wood in the Great Britain Cycling Team.
And fellow debutant Rowe is proving how successful the next generation of British cycling talent can be as he sits seventh overall.
“We’re mainly taking each stage as it comes. It’s been Elliot some days, Matt and Ollie the other days,” shared Smith.
“It’s mainly preparation for World Championships because Elliot’s got a really good chance at that.
“It’s been one of the best teams I’ve been part of. Everyone’s just mates and it shows on the road.
“We can take it to the big teams and we’re all good riders on our own terms so when you put it together it’s really good.”
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