Ben Healy is down to earth and not prone to looking for attention, but when it came to the rest day of the Tour de France, he wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity.
Asked by The Irish Times if he wore the race leader’s distinctive jersey on his rest day training ride, his face breaks into a smile.
“Of course!” he replied. “Maximising the time in the yellow jersey. It was not even a proper jersey yet, it was the podium jersey from yesterday. But I wasn’t going to pass that opportunity up.”
Thus far the riders have racked up 1,700 draining kilometres but, as ever, taking an actual rest on the rest day is not an option. Muscles tighten up and systems slow down if the tour’s competitors don’t keep moving, and so Healy and the rest of his EF Education EasyPost team clocked up 60 kilometres on a training ride Tuesday morning.
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“We stopped in a cafe in Toulouse, and it was just a mob of fans, which was something that I’ve never, never experienced before,” he said. “I’m just soaking it all up while I can.”
Healy’s Tour is just 10 days in but has exceeded his expectations thus far. Winning stage 6 last Thursday with a masterful solo move was the best result yet of his career. Taking yellow on Monday was, by his own admission, something he hadn’t anticipated, the stuff of dreams.
And lining out in the race leader’s jersey when the race restarts on Wednesday will be something he’ll remember for the rest of his life.
“It’s going to be phenomenal. Honestly,” he said. “My family’s flying out, and my girlfriend’s here now as well. To have everyone there who means so much to me and who got me to where I am ... that’s going to be a super special day.
“I just want to honour the jersey the best I possibly can do. I know what I’m up against, so it’s going to be hard. But I’ll give it my all, that’s for sure.”
Wednesday’s stage takes the riders on a demanding hilly route in and around Toulouse. Thursday’s race to the summit of the Pyrenean climb of Hautacam is far harder again and, with triple tour winner Tadej Pogacar lurking just 29 seconds back, many anticipate that he will take over.
Indeed, the Slovenian was promising an aggressive showing during his own rest day press conference. “I’m really looking forward to the climb to Hautacam and the climbing time trial [on Friday]. Those two stages are key for me,” Pogacar said on Tuesday.
“We sit good on the GC and we are ready to attack the mountains.”
Healy anticipates the days ahead will be a big test for him.
“If Tadej is out to take revenge against Jonas [Vingegaard] from a couple years ago, then I imagine there’s going to be fireworks there. I’ve just got to do my best effort to the top and hope it’s enough,” Healy said.
“But you can’t overlook tomorrow, either. It’s a pretty tricky finish and with small roads and short kickers [hills] really close to the finish, it’s definitely a stage you have to be wary of.”
I really enjoy the sort of racing that I’m doing at the moment. The goals that I have are still pretty fresh
Still just 24 years of age, Healy is riding his second tour. The talented English-born Irishman has taken 10 professional wins during his five pro seasons but has never targeted the general classification in a race like this. He knows and accepts that winning it outright is a long shot.
But even if contending for the final yellow jersey could take many years of hard work, he’s determined give everything he’s got in the remaining week-and-a-half of this tour.
“I need to really see where I’m at in the big mountains,” he said. “I would love to say that I want to target a podium, or top five, something like this, but I have no real track record in racing for a GC.”
He’s loving his time in yellow but the pressure is off. This edition of the tour is all about pushing his limits, understanding what is possible, and trying to achieve as much as he can – whether that’s a high general classification placing or chasing more stage wins.
The beauty about his situation is that he already relishes being a plucky stage hunter. Anything more this early in his career is a bonus.
“Like I said before, I really enjoy the sort of racing that I’m doing at the moment. The goals that I have are still pretty fresh,” he said. “I still have things that I want to tick off as well, while I’m not going for GC.
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“So yeah, definitely one day it might take a turn, but for now, I’m pretty happy going for stages and targeting these one-day races. Just continuing as I have been.”
He won’t shy away from yellow, of course, but he’s not going to let it change him either.
Healy paid for all of his team-mates’ coffees and cakes on Tuesday’s rest day cafe ride. He’ll remain fully down to earth whatever way this tour turns out.
