By:
Conor Martin
Ben Healy earned the right to wear the famous yellow jersey at the Tour de France after a gritty performance in stage 11.
The stage itself was won by Jonas Abrahamsen in a race that saw defending champion Tadej Pogacar suffer a nasty fall and a protestor disrupt the race just as it was gearing up for a sprint finish.
The protester in question was wearing a T-shirt reading “Israel out of the Tour”, waved a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf and ran onto the final straight, just 50 metres from the line, before they were tackled by security.
Healy earned the yellow jersey after stage 10, which followed his impressive stage six win; he’s only the fourth-ever Irishman to lead cycling’s biggest and most famous road race.
He maintains his 29-second lead at the top of the general classification, despite finishing 24th in stage 11 on Wednesday.
Ben Healy reflects on stage 11 performance
After retaining the yellow jersey, Healy said, “I’ve lost a few years of life today, because it was a super stressful stage.
“I was trying to keep my powder dry and this made me get dropped from the peloton early on, forcing my teammates to chase down – it was a super team effort!
“At some point, Tadej missed a split and the opportunity arose for me to attack along with Jonas [Vingegaard]. I did so because I felt like putting the hammer down. The final was very tough, too, making for a pretty hard day.
“It’s pretty ambitious to try and keep the yellow jersey atop Hautacam with guys like Tadej and Jonas in contention. Yet I’m optimistic and will give it a go tomorrow.
“I’m enjoying this yellow jersey so much… It’s been crazy at home, and it’s incredible to wear it in the race.”
Healy will fight right until the end of Stage 12
Focus now turns to Thursday’s stage 12, which will see the riders in the Tour de France encounter high altitude and tough mountain climbs for the first time.
The race finishes on the formidable Hautacam, known as the hardest climb in the Pyrenees.
Healy knows that Thursday’s stage is going to be a tough battle, especially if he’s to keep the yellow jersey. But he promised he’ll fight and give it his all from start to finish.
“I’m optimistic,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a pretty hard fight to hold on to yellow. But I’m going to fight right until the end. Hopefully I’ll have some super legs tomorrow.”
You can check out Healy’s Tour de France chances on online sites here.
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