Latest news with #BenHealy
Irish Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Exclusive: Ben Healy has been so exciting to watch says Irish cycling legend
SEAN KELLY has enjoyed the best Irish cycling since, well, Irish cycling was enjoying the best of Sean Kelly the cyclist. Ben Healy went nap last Thursday week, winning Stage Six of the Tour de France. Kelly himself claimed five stages, firstly in 1978, then two in 1980, and one 1981 and 1982. Further sensation followed last Monday when 24 year old Healy's third place on Stage 10 on Bastille Day was enough to put him into the yellow jacket, something Kelly held in 1983. 'I am enjoying watching Ben Healy enormously, he's not too young, he is coming into the right age, and he has got a young team about him,' says Waterford's finest, who is on the Tour de France commentary team for TNT Sports. 'His stage win was just brilliant, the way he attacked, going for it at 40 kilometres out, he just has that style of riding that makes it really exciting. 'And then going into yellow for four days, that was very exciting to see not just for me but, I'm sure, cycling back home. 'It's long overdue, a long time since we had somebody in the yellow jersey and that in itself was disappointing because we've had some great riders over the years. 'We always have expectations of guys coming through and hoping they're going to be great riders in the years to come and now this guy, Ben Healy, is actually doing it now. 'This year's Tour has something special about it too, there has been exceptionally fast racing and aggressive racing and it's going to be a question for the rest of the Tour, how much more can Ben achieve here.' Healy would remain in yellow for two nights, a rest day and following a combative Stage 11 around Toulouse. 'When you're winning a stage in the Tour of France and you are race leader, you're going to be under the spotlight,' says Kelly, a sprint/points specialist who wore the yellow jersey for a day in 1983. 'Having achieved those two goals Ben is the rider a lot of the other teams will be looking at and would love to have him in their ranks. 'He's made a huge step here in this Tour de France and the question they will be asking is how far can he go?' Healy relinquished the race lead on Stage 12 , a vicious climb into Hautacam that saw the field spread-eagled behind Tour favourite Tadej Pogacar. The Irishman finished 13 minutes down, was still as high as 25th on the day amid the carnage and while he dropped to 11th in the General Classification there is still lots to aim for. 'Thursday was a really interesting day because Ben hasn't been in that situation before, riding to defend and hold on to the yellow jersey in the biggest race in the world. 'So he wouldn't have known, I certainly didn't know, in advance how he would hold up. 'Don't forget he is up against the biggest stars in the world, who have been duking it out for the Tour of France, notably Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard and then other guys such Remco Evenepoel, who was third last year, they are the top three. 'So he was in the biggest cohort with the biggest talents in the world at the moment and trying to hold on to the yellow jersey. 'Sometimes when guys get into the yellow jersey, they can do unbelievable things but it can be the other way as well, the weight of the yellow jersey and all that tension can have that contra effect. He will have learned a lot from how it unfolded.' Kelly doesn't believe Healy should be written out of the 2025 story just yet, given he has proven a canny stage manager. 'The day he finished third and took the yellow, he had made a lot more of an effort than some of the guys who were second, third, fourth, fifth, etc behind him in the General Classification. 'And it was a day that had the bonus of a rest day the next day so he could just get some extra time to recover because he did put in big, big, massive effort. 'The 24 hours meant he was able to stay in the race in Stage 11, which wasn't one of these big testing stages but the final bit was a complicated one — short, small hills where you have 150 or 170 riders trying to get into a place where there's only place for 20 or 25 riders. 'There is always the risk of a crash when you are caught up in all of that so it is very important to avoid trouble. 'It was not a stage where you could relax as such at all and where you know you have to be on your game right through the day.' Ben Healy's gorgeous sausage dog (Image: escape collective) Healy, who when he is not on th bike is the owner of a beautiful sausage dog, rode the stage well, which meant it was technically his third day in yellow, albeit his first defence in the saddle. As for looking for another stage win, Kelly reckons his US-registered EF Education-EasyPost are ideally suited to support him. 'EF Education, they might not be one of the big top teams budget-wise but, you know, they always punch above their weight and they seem to be able to win stages. 'There are a lot of other teams who are bigger budget-wise but they do not have the results these last years and this year again. 'When you look at ES Education EasyPost, they weren't a team with a lead rider who was probably expected to deliver a top five in the Tour of France, which is the main target for a lot of the teams and a lot of the riders. 'If you're talking about finishing eighth in the Tour de France or winning a stage – winning a stage is more important and that's what Ben was going for, targeting the stages that suited his style of riding. 'I'd be hopeful there is something from him next week. It's his type of terrain so we can assume he will have picked the stages suiting his style of riding, his capabilities, his characteristics.' Even should Healy fade from here, he has left his mark. 'In Ireland he's going to be pretty much a household name for what he has done so far. 'If he can make some more headlines, maybe take a second stage he certainly will be up there as one of the big names in the cycling world, not just in Ireland, but all over Europe and all over the world, 'But I think Irish cycling fans and cycling followers of Ben Healy will be buying the jersey in any case — he has made his mark and it will be interesting to see how his career moves on from here.' Winning this year may look like a bit of a stretch now but, make no mistake, Ireland haven't have had such a live Tour de France prospect for almost 40 years. Watch comprehensive live coverage of every stage of the Tour de France with Sean Kelly on TNT Sports. Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts.
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Irish Tour de France star Ben Healy loses yellow jersey after struggling in gruelling heat in latest stage
TADEJ POGACAR delivered a display of pure dominance on the first true mountain test of this year's Tour de France — as Ben Healy gave up the Yellow Jersey. Ireland's Healy, who took the maillot jaune out of a breakaway on stage 10, struggled in the heat. Advertisement And it was no surprise to see him overhauled, shipping 13½ mins on the 180.6km stage from Auch. Healy's second day in yellow was one of suffering. Once he was gapped, his deficit ballooned as he found the challenge of hanging with the general classification riders too much. On the Hautacam, where Jonas Vingegaard left Pogacar behind in a decisive attack in his 2022 Tour win, the world champion got revenge . Advertisement Read More on Tour De France A day after his stage 11 crash, he attacked 12km from the summit finish and put 2min 10sec into his rival, who finished second. Pogacar's third stage win of this Tour, the 20th of his career, put him a big step closer to what would be a fourth overall title as he leads by 3min 31sec from Vingegaard. Slovenia's Pogacar dedicated his stage win to Samuele Privitera, the 19-year-old Italian development rider who died after a crash at the Giro della Valle d'Aosta on Wednesday. Referring to the Hautacam stage in 2022, he said: 'I almost already forgot and was just looking forward to today, then all the people came to me saying all the time about this, 'Is this revenge time?' Advertisement Most read in Sport Live Blog 'Then when we approached the bottom of the climb it was the reverse of a few years ago. 'For sure you don't know how the body reacts after a crash, but it was not too bad a crash. Here riding the bike it's not big flexing.' Irishman Ben Healy wins at Tour De France Young Scot Oscar Onley, 22, finished fifth. 1 The Yellow Jersey overall leader Irish rider Ben Healy of EF Education - EasyPost team arrives at the finish of the 12th stage of the Tour de France Credit: EPA Advertisement
LeMonde
2 days ago
- Sport
- LeMonde
Tour de France continues its anti-doping fight amid persistent suspicion
Ben Healy had just crossed the finish line of stage 11 of the Tour de France on Wednesday, July 16, in Toulouse, when he began another race that would last over an hour. The Irishman, who kept his yellow jersey after completing the loop in Haute-Garonne, complied with the obligations required of the general classification leader: a stop at the protocol podium, then a press conference, and finally a visit to the International Testing Agency (ITA) truck for a doping check at the end of the day. "It's a long process; sometimes, some riders are really eager to use the restroom when they arrive," said a smiling Pascal Eeckhout, who has worked for the Tour since 2008. Each day, he and his colleagues supervise urine tests for the stage winner and the yellow jersey holder, whose bikes are also analyzed. The ITA may also summon other peloton members at its discretion or go directly to their hotels to collect blood samples. During the three weeks of racing, the agency collects 600 samples. The ITA has led this anti-doping effort on behalf of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI, the international cycling's governing body) since January 2021. "An independent authority had to issue the program to eliminate real or perceived conflicts of interest," explained Valérie Fourneyron, the sports minister during François Hollande's five-year presidential term and now the president of the agency since its creation in 2018.
The Journal
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Journal
Ben Healy loses yellow jersey after first mountain stage of the Tour de France
LAST UPDATE | 2 hrs ago The 42 BEN HEALY RELINQUISHED the yellow jersey as Tadej Pogacar reclaimed the lead at the Tour de France with an imperious stage 12 triumph on the Hautacam mountain in the Pyrenees today. 💛 Ben Healy tries to hang on to his Yellow Jersey, supported by @harry_sweeny 🇮🇪 Ben Healy tente de s'accrocher à son Maillot Jaune, soutenu par @harry_sweeny #TDF2025 — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 17, 2025 Pogacar skipped away on an 11km solo ascent of the fabled climb to finish 2min 10sec ahead of key rival Jonas Vingegaard while overnight leader Healy wilted to a 13min deficit on the day. Advertisement Overnight leader Healy took a beating on his second day defending the yellow jersey as the EF rider slipped off the pace on the first climb, while doggedly trying to limit his losses. He is now 11th, over 13 minutes behind Pogacar. French president Emmanuel Macron was on hand at the mountaintop finish to congratulate the Slovenian Team UAE rider. Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel dug deep after being dropped on the first of three climbs to claw back level, before eventually losing 3min 35sec on the day's 180.6km ride from Auch, finishing seventh. 🏁 The last few metres of this ascent where the world champion put on a real show! 🏁 Les derniers mètres de cette ascension où le champion du monde a offert une véritable démonstration ! #TDF2025 — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 17, 2025 Related Reads 'I've lost a few years of life today': Ben Healy retains Tour de France yellow jersey How Ben Healy - grandson of Irish immigrants - made sporting history at the Tour de France 'This is just a fairytale': Ireland's brilliant Ben Healy takes yellow jersey at Tour de France In the overall standings Pogacar now leads the Tour de France by 3min 31sec over Denmark's Vingegaard while Evenepoel is third at a daunting 4min 45sec. Worse for any pretenders hoping to stop the defending champion is that Friday's stage 13 comes in the shape of an uphill individual time-trial that the Slovenian said this week he was looking forward to. Written by AFP and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won't find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women's sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here .
BBC News
2 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Tour de France stage 12 - Pogacar wins on summit finish to regain yellow jersey
Update: Date: 17:50 BST Title: Au revoir Content: That's all from today's stage, which concluded with a dominant win by Tadej Pogacar on the first summit finish of this year's Tour de France. The reigning champion was expected to be tested on the first proper mountain stage this year, especially after suffering minor injuries on a crash yesterday, but he stormed clear on the final Hautacam climb to regain the yellow jersey from Ben Healy. The Slovenian carries a comfortable advantage into Friday's individual time trial from Loudenvielle to Peyragudes. We'll be back from about 12:30 so we do hope you'll join us again then. Update: Date: 17:34 BST Title: Pogacar dedicates win to Privitera after his tragic death Content: Tadej Pogacar pointed to the sky when he crossed the finish line and he finished his post-stage interview by dedicating his victory to 19-year-old Italian rider Samuele Privitera, who has died following an accident during the first stage of the Giro della Valle d'Aosta, an Under-23 event. "I think this stage today can go for Samuele and to all his family," Pogacar added. "It was really sad, it was the first thing I read in the morning. "I was thinking in the last kilometre about him and how tough this sport can be and how much pain it can cause." Update: Date: 17:26 BST Title: General classification standings after stage 12 Content: Update: Date: 17:19 BST Title: 'It was hard for everybody but we were super strong' Content: Tadej Pogacar on his injuries after yesterday's fall: "For sure, you don't know how the body reacts after the crash but it was not too bad. It was not a bad crash. I feel my hip only if I do acrobatics, but here I'm just riding a bike so it's not big flexing. Yeah, I sweated a bit more but maybe it's good. "We did a super job. The team rode really well, 'chapeau' also to Ben Healy and EF [Education-EasyPost], they were trying to defend the jersey. They showed really big spirit. And also Uno-X [Mobility], they fought for their own GC, so it was hard today for everybody. "But in the end we were super strong. We had this stage in mind for a long time and we did it." Update: Date: 17:06 BST Title: Pogacar insists there was no 'revenge mission' Content: Stage winner Tadej Pogacar has been asked whether this feels like revenge after losing to Jonas Vingegaard on the Hautacam climb in 2022. "The first time I rode Hautacam, when I did a recon, it was a super nice climb," he said. "I was looking forward to riding this climb and then it was in the Tour de France in 2022. "I was trying with my head through the wall to get back the yellow jersey but Visma was too strong back then. "I almost forgot about that. I was just looking forward to today, then all the people, all the time were, coming to me saying 'oh yeah, this is the revenge time', blah blah blah. "Then when we approached the bottom of the climb it was the reverse story of a few years ago. One Belgian guy again on the front, Tim [Wellens], and our team. I'm super happy to take time [out of Jonas Vingegaard] and win on this climb." Update: Date: 16:51 BST Title: Stage 12 results Content: Update: Date: 16:50 BST Title: Post Content: Jonas Vingegaard crosses two minutes 10 seconds after Tadej Pogacar. The reigning champion will lead the Dane by three minutes 30 seconds. Update: Date: 16:47 BST Title: Pogacar wins stage 12 to regain yellow jersey Content: Tadej Pogacar rolls over the finish line at the Hautacam summit as Jonas Vingegaard continues to drift. Update: Date: 1km to go Title: Post Content: Florian Lipowitz is set to overtake Remco Evenepoel and climb into the GC podium positions. Update: Date: 2km to go Title: Post Content: Tadej Pogacar just had the awareness to point out to the camera motorbike that it had a cardboard sign attached to it after being dropped by one of the passionate fans up the Hautacam. Update: Date: 3km to go Title: Post Content: Tadej Pogacar is 90 seconds clear of Jonas Vingegaard. So much for cracking Pogacar, at this rate Vingegaard's time deficit to Pogacar will be doubled. Update: Date: 4km to go Title: Post Content: At this point yesterday Tadej Pogacar was sliding along the tarmac in Toulouse. Now he's set for his third stage win of this year's Tour and will regain the yellow jersey. Update: Date: 5km to go Title: Post Content: Tadej Pogacar leads Jonas Vingegaard by more than a minute, as Florian Lipowitz and British rider Oscar Onley go clear of the group behind Vingegaard. Update: Date: 6km to go Title: Post Content: We're just halfway through the Hautacam climb but Tadej Pogacar is showing no signs of letting up. The three-time Tour winner leads Jonas Vingegaard by 57 seconds, with the next group a further minutes adrift. Update: Date: 7km to go Title: Post Content: Tadej Pogacar is 50 seconds ahead of Jonas Vingegaard, with the Primoz Roglic group more than 1min 30secs back. Update: Date: 8km to go Title: Post Content: Tadej Pogacar is now 40 seconds clear as he targets a third stage win on this year's Tour. Update: Date: 9km to go Title: Post Content: The gap goes past 30 seconds, Jonas Vingegaard is battling to stay within reach of reigning champion Tadej Pogacar. Update: Date: 10km to go Title: Post Content: Tadej Pogacar is now 15 seconds clear of Jonas Vingegaard. Florian Lipowitz, Primoz Roglic, Oscar Onley and Tobias Johannessen are 40 seconds off, with Remco at Evenepoel 1min 5secs. Update: Date: 11km to go Title: Pogacar passes leader Armirail Content: Bruno Armirail had a 1min 50sec lead at the foot of the Hautacam. He's just been passed by Tadej Pogacar, with Jonas Vingegaard trailing by 10 seconds. Update: Date: 12.5km to go Title: Post Content: Jhonatan Narvaez takes over from Tim Wellens, and he attacks with UAE team-mates Adam Yates and Tadej Pogacar.
