BEN HEALY wore the yellow jersey for two stages during this year’s Tour de France, but he has become a lot more familiar with the maillot jaune in the weeks since. The EF Education-EasyPost rider may not have actually won the Tour, but he has been sporting the yellow jersey in a number of criteriums held in cities and towns around France.
“I think officially they are not meant to, but they have been sticking me in the jersey if they can,” he said, smiling, speaking about the crit organizers. “I will take any chance to wear it.”
It’s a bit of a win-win scenario for Healy as he gets to spend more time in the most famous jersey in cycling, soaking up the atmosphere and the plaudits at those races, while the people running the crits get a very recognizable boost for their events. And the Irishman has enjoyed his time doing the criteriums, balancing his post-Tour life with a few days at the beach and then those semi-serious fixtures. Being paid well while being feted at short kermesses is a good way to recharge, and sure beats the draining WorldTour circuit.
“It’s actually quite a nice experience,” he told Faustino, speaking a couple of hours prior to one such race in Clermont-Ferrand. “In the Tour, you’re so stressed and just trying to focus on the job at hand, whereas this is a lot more relaxed. And you get to give back to some of the fans.”
But taking yellow was something more. Once I’d won the stage, I knew I had good legs. Then just the perfect scenario came about for me to do that.
Giving back to the fans has been a motivation in Healy’s career. He was the youngest-ever stage winner in the Tour de l’Avenir back in 2019, at age 18, scooping stage 5 while competing as part of the UCI’s World Cycling Center team. That achievement set him on the path to a pro career and in the years since, he has become known for his aggressive racing, going long and winning solo.
Doing so has suited his physiology—the 24-year-old Irish rider is not as explosive as many other rivals but is very good at sustained efforts—yet this approach has also appealed to his desire to compete in a dynamic, exciting manner.
“It’s definitely the way that I’ve always raced, the way that I enjoy racing,” he explained. “And people just see that it’s natural to me. I just leave it all on the line, which I guess people like.”
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