Ben Healy on Monday became the first Irishman since Stephen Roche in 1987 to take the overall lead on the Tour de France with a relentless attack across eight grueling hills in the Massif Central.
The 24-year-old EF rider had already won stage six in Normandy, but here the smiley Healy confirmed his promise with a career-defining ride claiming the fabled yellow jersey.
He becomes just the fourth Irishman to wear it following Shay Elliott, back in 1963, Sean Kelly in 1983 and Roche, who went on to win an epic race 38 years ago.
Photo: Reuters
Healy’s performance overshadowed that of stage winner Simon Yates, who sat on his wheel all afternoon as they crossed the ancient volcanoes that mark the region.
Such was the Irishman’s effort as the escapees rushed through the gray-black volcanic rock villages that he was also awarded the combativity award for the most attacking rider of the day.
“Hats off to him, he’s the one that dropped everyone,” Yates said of Healy as the escape group was gradually whittled down from 30 to five.
Reigning Giro d’Italia champion Yates attacked on the last of the day’s climbs, with Thymen Arensman of Ineos second and Healy coming third at the line, 31 seconds adrift and having never relented on a punishing day.
Healy was born in Birmingham, England, but chose to represent Ireland in his youth. He is also in the white jersey for the best young rider.
“The stage win I got and the yellow today both mean a lot to me,” said Healy, who had a tense wait at the line for Tadej Pogacar to cross 4 minutes, 51 seconds adrift and ceding the overall lead, likely for several days.
“This yellow is more for the team who worked so hard to put me here, but the stage win possibly means more as it came first,” Healy said.
Race favorites Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard crossed the line together after eight climbs in the Massif Central where they were rarely a wheel’s length from each other.
Healy leads the Tour by 29 seconds from defending champion Pogacar, with Belgian Remco Evenepoel in third at 1 minute, 29 seconds back.
Denmark’s double Tour de France champion Vingegaard is fourth overall at 1 minute, 46 seconds, and his Visma teammate Matteo Jorgenson sits fifth.
Third overnight, promising young French rider Kevin Vauquelin dropped a minute to finish the day in sixth place.
Recompense for the home nation on the Bastille Day holiday came in the form of Lenny Martinez as he earned the King of the Mountains jersey with 27 points garnered on the stage.
Martinez’s grandfather, Mariano Martinez, won the jersey outright on the 1978 Tour.
Successive escape bids ensued from the off as the 164 remaining riders raced out of Ennezat with top guns Pogacar and Evenepoel finally allowing one to get away over the ever-rolling terrain. Once they did, a gap of more than five minutes was established by a motivated group that rode so hard over the cattle-dotted hills the sprinters were dropped by more than 30 minutes at the finish line.
Yesterday was a rest day. Today’s stage 11 is flat run with a sprinter expected to take the honors in Toulouse.
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