For the casual cycling fans, Tour de France yellow jersey holder Ben Healy might not ring a bell. Of course, he already performed well in the Walloon spring classics, but this is the first time we see the rider so prominently at the front in the Tour de France. The Irish yellow jersey holder is actually English by birth and still lives there. Eight years ago, British Cycling dropped him as a mountain biker, after which he sought his fortune with the Irish cycling federation. The rest is history. A portrait of Ben Healy.
Healy was born in Kingswinford, a suburb of Birmingham just south of Wolverhampton. He still lives in the neighboring Stourbridge and came into contact with cycling at Halesowen’s outdoor track. His father used to take him on Sundays to race, he once told Cyclingnews. But he soon realized that track cycling or omniums were not for him. Again, it was his father who influenced him and put Healy Jr. on a mountain bike. He started racing cross-country and made the British national team.
But when Healy was sixteen, and British Cycling dropped him. He had to choose between school or road cycling. The then still Englishman chose the latter. Coincidentally, he had a friend who was going to ride for the junior team of Zappi. Healy sent in his CV and to his surprise was admitted to the renowned British team, which raced a strong international program. In that first year, Healy finished second in the Tour of Wales (behind Tom Pidcock), third in the Giro di Basilicata, fourth in the Ronde des Vallées, and won the U19 Tour of the Basque Country.
photo: Cor Vos
In his first year he beat none other than Remco Evenepoel in Spain, who came second. In 2017 Healy also switched his British nationality to Irish. Although his father was also born in England, his parents — Healy’s grandparents — came from Cork, Ireland. Through this family link, he was able to race for Ireland. A choice he openly admits was made to increase his chances of national selection. Yet Healy also feels a connection to Ireland. It is precisely that choice that ensured he is still a pro cyclist today.
After that initial rookie year with the juniors, 2018 turned out to be a tough one. Only when he won a stage in the important Dutch junior race Driedaagse van Axel did he start contacting development teams again. To his shock, no U23 team wanted him. Representing Ireland, he was still allowed to race the World Championships at the end of 2018, where Healy openly wondered what he was still doing there. In Innsbruck, he spoke with rider agent Jamie Barlow, who was scouting for Wiggins-Le Col. He couldn’t guarantee him a spot. In the end, they decided to give him a chance and the last place in early November. Luck in disguise, again.
In one of his first U23 races, it immediately became clear what kind of rider Healy was. Gent-Wevelgem U23 in 2019 was marked by strong winds, after which no breakaway formed until after De Moeren. Among those who attacked were riders like Tobias Foss, Andreas Leknessund, Jens Reynders, Cedric Beullens, eventual winner Jonas Rutsch, and the then very young Ben Healy. That breakaway stayed away. Later that year, the Irishman did the same in a rainy stage of the Tour de l’Avenir. This time he won ahead of riders like Matteo Jorgenson. With this, he became the youngest stage winner ever in the Tour de l’Avenir. For a long time, he was most proud of this achievement.
Healy wins in 2019 at the Tour de l'Avenir - photo: Tour de l'Avenir
In the following years, after strong long solo moves from early breakaways, Healy also won mountain stages in tough U23 races like the Ronde de l’Isard (2020) and the Giro d’Italia U23 (2021). Despite Jamie Barlow leaving Andrew McQuaid’s management agency, Healy remained loyal to development team Trinity. There he rode two seasons alongside Tom Pidcock. “Ben and I get along well,” Pidcock said earlier to WielerFlits. “Ben helped me win the Baby Giro in 2020 at Trinity. When we were younger, we often raced against each other. I know how strong he is. It was no surprise to me that he was in the final. He dropped me at the end, but I think it’s great to see.”
Good things come quickly. After three years as an under-23, he signed with EF Education-EasyPost in 2022 (INEOS Grenadiers had tested him) and as a neo-pro immediately finished sixth in the time trial at the European Championships in Munich. A time trial never lies. “In 2021 he already impressed us a lot at certain moments,” says team director Sebastian Langeveld. “Especially in breakaways and how long he can sustain that effort. A bit like Taco van der Hoorn.”
In recent years, Healy has indeed shown himself to be a rider with great endurance, one you can’t give an inch of space. In 2023, the Irishman broke through completely with a second place in the Brabantse Pijl, second in the Amstel Gold Race, and fourth in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. In May 2023, he won his first stage in a Grand Tour, in typical Healy style. The then 22-year-old Irishman capped off a fifty-kilometer solo in the Giro d'Italia on the stage to Fossombrone.
Healy after his stage win in the Giro in 2023 - photo: Cor Vos
2024 was a relatively disappointing year for the Irishman. Although he debuted in the Tour de France and made several early breakaways, we did not see the Healy of a year earlier. In the Ardennes Classics, he played no significant role and only managed a win last year in the Tour of Slovenia.
This year, Healy has returned to his best form. He finished on the podium in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and won his second WorldTour race at the Tour of the Basque Country, where he claimed victory in the fifth stage after a typical solo of nearly fifty kilometers. That he also won in the Tour de France this week in the same manner is no longer a surprise. It has become Healy’s trademark. With that, he also secured the yellow jersey on Monday at Le Mont-Dore.
Team director Langeveld has no juicy stories about Healy, he says. “Ben is a super serious guy. He’s very polite and very grateful to have become a pro with us. His appearance suggests otherwise, but there’s little rock ’n roll attached to Healy. He’s super professional with his craft; he knows exactly what he wants. A very nice guy to work with.” The Irishman is the type of rider who makes things ‘easy’ for the coach.
Healy has everything it takes to be a cult rider. But in fact, that understates someone with his capabilities. Due to his relatively short road racing career so far, his team believes he still needs to discover what his specialty is. “He likes jumping into early breakaways and surprising his rivals with his swashbuckling attacks (reckless or bold, ed.). When the race is full gas, Ben reminds himself to just keep pedaling. That attitude has taken him far. Ben Healy has only just begun.”
No one knows where it will end. At the end of 2024, Healy was already considering a career as a general classification (GC) contender. “I definitely have to consider it if I think there are opportunities,” he said in December. In the coming weeks, we will see what happens. The Irishman certainly plans to defend the jersey until the bitter end. “I have to respect this jersey and try to hold on to it as long as possible,” says Healy, who remains realistic at the same time. “If you look at the level of Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard, I still have a huge amount of progress to make to reach that level as well. I saw Tadej after the finish today and he looked completely fresh, while I definitely was not. I don’t know if I will ever reach that level.”
