Healy keen for Ardennes success after stage win in Basque Country: "My form is there"

It has become a signature trait of Ben Healy, whenever possible, he attacks early and goes long. That motor of his just doesn’t quit. He proved it once again in Stage 5 of the Tour of the Basque Country, where the Irishman from EF Education–EasyPost dropped the competition with a nearly 60-kilometer solo effort. It’s a promising sign heading into the Ardennes Classics, which he has once again targeted.

It was Healy’s first victory in almost a year, his last win came at the 2023 Tour of Slovenia. Ten months passed before he claimed another. But when Healy gets away, good luck catching him. “I had really good legs, and I felt like I could finish it off, as I showed,” he said in the post-race flash interview. In the end, he finished nearly two minutes ahead of the group of favorites, who never came close to challenging for the win.

EF Education played the numbers game perfectly. “There were two of us in the break, and it was a strong group. We didn’t want to take any risks, so I went for it when we had a tailwind. With good legs, I was able to extend the gap and take it all the way to the finish.” Just like in Stage 4, the small Irishman was joined in the break by teammate Alex Baudin. “We thought yesterday was a good opportunity too, but the peloton didn’t let us go. Today was another great chance, and we made it into the breakaway. It was a very strong group, but even better, we had two of the six riders up front. We knew we could play that advantage, and that’s exactly what we did.”

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Ready for the Ardennes: "The form is there"

Now the focus shifts to the final weeks of April, where Healy will lead the team in the Ardennes Classics. He hopes to improve on his 2023 performances, which included a second-place finish at the Amstel Gold Race. “The form is there. I did come here with GC ambitions, but the heat got to me the last few days, my body couldn’t handle it. But today was cooler, and the form showed. Nothing to worry about.” Winning won’t be easy with Tadej Pogacar in the mix, but who knows…

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