'It's a fairytale' - Ben Healy makes history joining prestigious list of Irish cyclists to wear yellow jersey at the Tour de France

Ben Healy moves into the yellow jersey after stage 10 at the Tour de France (Image credit: Getty Images)

It was a day to remember for Ben Healy as the EF Education-EasyPost rider finished third on stage 10 into Le Mont-Dore Puy de Sancy and moved into the yellow jersey at the Tour de France, becoming only the fourth Irish cyclist in history to do.

"It's a fairytale. If you told me this before the Tour, I wouldn't have believed you. To wear the yellow jersey is incredible, and beyond belief," Healy said in a post-race interview.

Healy joins a short list of riders to have worn the yellow jersey at the French Grand Tour, joining Stephen Roche (1987), Seán Kelly (1983), and Shay Elliott (1963).

He started the day in 11th place in the GC standings after the first nine stages, positioned at 3:55 seconds down on overnight leader Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).

There was little reaction from Pogačar or GC rival Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), whose teammate Simon Yates was in the breakaway and attacked his companions to secure a solo victory.

But the neutralised race among the GC contenders behind the breakaway meant that Pogačar ended up crossing the finish line 4:51 down on the stage, putting Healy in yellow by 29 seconds.

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Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.

Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.

She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.

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