Bristol cyclist Simon Richardson admitted he is already thinking about next year's Tour of Britain after picking up his best finish of his 2009 campaign during stage seven.

Richardson has struggled so far on the eight-day race with only a 44th place finish on the opening leg, from Scunthorpe to York, the best return for his efforts.

However, the Rapha Condor rider surpassed that achievement during stage seven, from Hatherleigh to Yeovil, crossing the line in 39th as Ben Swift became the first Brit to clinch victory this year.

Richardson has just one more day to impress with the Tour coming to a close in London today and has vowed to leave nothing in the tank in pursuit of another best finish.

"It's been a better year than last year, hopefully I can come back to the Tour of Britain next year and do better again," said Richardson – who sits 71st in the general classification.

"I've tried all week to get in some of the breakaways, but just missed them, which has been quite frustrating.

"The climbs stage, a couple of days ago, was short and sharp, which are not my preferred type, but I came through it well and overall I'm pretty happy with how my week has gone."

Swift's Italian team-mate Filippo Pozzato and Edvald Boasson Hagen – who had topped the podium in the previous four stages – joined the Brit on the podium in second and third respectively.

The Norwegian still wears the yellow jersey and leads the points competition, while Thomas De Gendt – who claimed the King of the Mountains competition on Thursday – wrapped up the sprints crown.

Meanwhile, fellow Bristol-based cyclist Tom Southam maintained his consistent week on the Tour coming home just behind Rapha Condor team-mate Richardson.

Southam crossed the line in 47th – his sixth top 50 finish of the race – and is placed 35th in the general classification with just the sprint stage left.