The 14th of July is a big deal in France, la fête nationale, better known in English as Bastille Day. It’s why the rest day was a day further away, why the riders were forced to race on the second Monday, and why there were quite so many fireworks on Sunday and Monday evenings. There were also fireworks on the road of the Tour de France, too, as Ben Healy forced his way into the yellow jersey on stage 10, similar to how Mathieu van der Poel did last week, and went into the rest day as the first Irishman since 1987 to lead the race.
Healy is Irish, to be clear, but he grew up close to Stourbridge in the West Midlands of England, hence his Brummie-adjacent accent. 14 July is also a big deal there, as Stourbridge is part of the Black Country, and Monday was Black Country Day. It might not be quite as historic as le quatorze juillet, but there is a flag and events, with the date chosen for the creation of the world's first successful steam engine, invented by Thomas Newcomen in Dudley in 1712.
Adam Becket
News editor at Cycling Weekly, Adam brings his weekly opinion on the goings on at the upper echelons of our sport. This piece is part of The Leadout, a newsletter series from Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here. As ever, email adam.becket@futurenet.com - should you wish to add anything, or suggest a topic.
It all came together for the EF Education-EasyPost rider on Black Country Day. Having won a dream stage of the Tour last week on stage six to Vire Normandie, he wasn’t done with animating the race, or bending it to his wheel. After successfully infiltrating the mass break on stage 10 to Le Mont-Dore, the 24-year-old kept riding all day, ensuring that he would snatch yellow from Tadej Pogačar and continue his whirlwind Tour.
The yellow jersey was very much up in the air for most of Monday’s stage, with late accelerations in the GC group always a concern for Healy and his team; in the end, however, there was a comfortable gap, with bonus seconds, too. It’s not inconceivable that the Irishman will still be in yellow on Thursday, let alone Wednesday morning.
The two stunning results for Healy at this Tour have not been down to luck, to being in the right place at the right time, or simply down to the break being let go. This has been the end product of a lot of hard work, of perfecting equipment, and of mindset. He rides with his heart very much on the (long) sleeve of his aero jersey, with the passion and effort clear, and it is the best thing about cycling.
There were times on Monday where other riders would have reigned it in, targeted the stage win, reset or resigned themselves to the peloton ruining the fun. Not Healy, though, just like when he attacked on stage six, he was all in, pushing on the front, going for as much as possible. That’s how to take the most out of your ability.
In the age of Pogačar domination and marginal gains - although EF do employ these - Healy’s success is proof that through determination and endeavour, better things are possible. He reportedly turned down a move to Ineos Grenadiers in order to have more opportunity and a better time at EF, and it has worked.
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“Ben’s a rider that wants to improve and wants to listen,” his coach, Jacob Tipper, told me last week. “I think a lot of riders get to the WorldTour and then they’re happy, or they get a result and they don’t keep pushing. Ben is constantly working on his ability.”
What makes this first week even more impressive for the 24-year-old is the fact that there were concerns over his form at the Critérium du Dauphiné just last month; it wasn’t quite panic stations, but conversations were had over his role at this Tour. EF were deprived of Richard Carapaz at the race, but without him, have still had a stunner of a Tour already, and it’s only the first rest day.
Just like Van der Poel over the first days of the race, Healy has picked his days precisely, knowing when to use energy, and when to relax. It isn’t always going to work, and there is a bit of fortune involved, but you have to be in the right place to take advantage of that fortune. It is never easy to get into the break, but Healy has been there on two decisive days. He has made his own luck by being so good.
That’s what makes the racing style special, watchable, addictive, the best thing about cycling, because it doesn’t always work - you have to wait for the pay off. It isn’t a foregone conclusion, like a Lorena Wiebes sprint or Pogačar attacking on a climb, it’s a gamble. Healy has always raced like this, and turned it into a success.
This piece is part of The Leadout, the offering of newsletters from Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here.
Adam is Cycling Weekly’s news editor – his greatest love is road racing but as long as he is cycling, he's happy. Before joining CW in 2021 he spent two years writing for Procycling. He's usually out and about on the roads of Bristol and its surrounds.
Before cycling took over his professional life, he covered ecclesiastical matters at the world’s largest Anglican newspaper and politics at Business Insider. Don't ask how that is related to riding bikes.
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