Ben Healy takes yellow jersey at Tour de France after heroic third place in stage 10
The 24-year-old finished third on Stage 10, 29 seconds ahead of Tadej Pogacar to lead the general classification ahead of the first rest day on Tuesday.
Stephen Roche was the last Irishman to lead the Tour de France, when he won the race in 1987. Sean Kelly (1983) and Shay Eliott (1963) are the only other Irish riders to ever lead the race.
Having ridden to a superb victory on Stage 6, the EF Education-EasyPost cyclist took advantage of a favourable stage profile to get himself into a large breakaway, which managed to stay well clear of the peloton as general classification favourites Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard failed to muster a fight until late in the stage.
Healy took control in the closing stages of the 165.3-kilometre trip through the Central Massif from Ennezat to Le Mont-Dore Puy de Sancy, taking the leading group of five over the penultimate of eight categorised climbs.
Simon Yates and Ben O'Connor broke away from the Irishman at the foot of the final climb, with Thymen Arensman also getting ahead of Healy, who looked to be paying for all his hard work.
However he dug in in the closing stages to consolidate third place behind stage winner Yates of Visma-Lease a Bike and Arensman of Ineos Grenadiers.
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