IRELAND’S Ben Healy lit up Stage 6 of the Tour de France with a spectacular solo attack, taking his first career stage win in cycling’s biggest race and delivering Ireland’s first Tour victory since 2020.
The 24-year-old EF Education–EasyPost rider launched his move with 42 km remaining on the 201.5 km stage from Bayeux to Vire Normandie, powering away from a strong eight-man breakaway that included Dutch star Mathieu van der Poel, Giro d’Italia winner Simon Yates, and fellow Irishman Eddie Dunbar.
“I knew what I had to do—just head down and ride my best to the finish,” Healy said at the line.
“This was a stage I had circled from the start. It’s what I’ve worked toward, not just this year, but the whole time, really. Hours and hours of hard work from so many people—it’s really amazing to pay them back today.”
Healy, known for his aggressive style and success in breakaways, quickly built a commanding gap.
Despite an attempted overtake by Americans Quinn Simmons and Michael Storer, the Irishman extended his lead and crossed the line 2 minutes and 44 seconds ahead of Simmons, with Storer third.
Van der Poel eventually finished eighth, nearly four minutes back.
“It’s just unbelievable, really,” Healy said. “To do it in the first stage I really targeted is amazing.”
The win propels Healy up the general classification from 33rd to 8th, making him a rider to watch in the coming stages.
Dunbar also impressed, finishing fourth after spending the entire day in the break and moving to 29th overall.
The stage also brought a shift in the yellow jersey. Van der Poel reclaimed the overall lead by a single second from reigning champion Tadej Pogacar, who had taken yellow in the previous day’s time trial.
“The first two hours were super hard, incredibly fast,” Pogacar said. “We decided not to spend the bullets today, so we rode our pace.”
Healy’s triumph adds his name to an elite list of Irish riders to win a Tour de France stage, alongside Shay Elliott, Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche, Martin Earley, Dan Martin, and Sam Bennett. It also follows his breakout solo victory at the 2023 Giro d’Italia.