Ben Healy
Ben Healy (born 11 September 2000 in Kingswinford, England) is an Irish rider known for his aggressive racing style and long-range attacks. Competing for EF Education–EasyPost, he made his breakthrough in 2023 with a stage win in the Giro d’Italia and several strong results in the Ardennes Classics. Find Ben Healy’s latest results, stats and race calendar on this page.
Biography of pro cyclist Ben Healy
Ben Healy is a rider built for the long-range attack. Where many of his peers wait for the finale, Healy backs himself to go early and stay away, a style that has delivered Grand Tour stage wins and a place in Irish cycling history.
Though born and raised in England, Healy chose to race under the Irish flag through his paternal grandparents, and his rise has reignited interest in Irish road cycling. By his mid-twenties he had already worn the yellow jersey at the Tour de France and established himself as a genuine threat in the hilly Classics.
Early life and rise
Healy grew up in Wordsley, near Birmingham, and came to cycling through the junior ranks rather than from a famous cycling family. He committed his international future to Ireland, the homeland of his grandparents, and progressed steadily through the under-23 ranks before turning professional.
He joined EF Education-EasyPost (then via the team's development pathway) and quickly marked himself out as an aggressive, instinctive racer rather than a pure GC contender or sprinter, a rider who thrives on rolling, punchy terrain and isn't afraid to commit to a move from a long way out.
Breakthrough: 2023 Giro stage and Classics rise
Healy's breakthrough came in 2023. That spring he won the GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano and produced standout rides in the Ardennes, finishing on the podium at Brabantse Pijl and taking fourth at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. He then made his Grand Tour debut at the 2023 Giro d'Italia, where on stage 8 he soloed clear with a roughly 50-kilometre attack to take his first Grand Tour stage win in commanding fashion. It was the perfect showcase for his strengths: aggression, time-trialling power and the nerve to ride alone.
2025 Tour de France: stage win and the yellow jersey
The 2025 Tour de France turned Healy into a household name. On stage 6, from Bayeux to Vire Normandie, he attacked out of the day's breakaway with more than 40 kilometres remaining and rode solo to a commanding stage victory, finishing well clear of his rivals. Days later, a third-place finish on stage 10 was enough to move him into the overall lead.
In doing so, Healy became the first Irishman to wear the yellow jersey since Stephen Roche in 1987, and only the fourth Irish rider ever to lead the Tour, after Roche, Sean Kelly and Shay Elliott. He described it as “a fairytale.” He held yellow until the race hit the high mountains, eventually ceding the lead, but his attacking riding earned him the Tour's overall Super Combativity award.
Rider profile: strengths, style, and characteristics
Healy is a classic aggressor. He is a powerful time-triallist and rouleur who can sustain huge efforts alone, combined with the punch of a one-day specialist on short, sharp climbs. That blend makes him ideally suited to breakaways and to hilly Classics such as the Ardennes races. He is less of a pure climber for three-week GC battles, but on the right terrain he is among the hardest riders in the peloton to bring back once he commits.
Rivalries
As an attacker rather than a GC leader, Healy's rivalries are defined more by the racing situation than by a single nemesis, he frequently finds himself battling fellow breakaway specialists and puncheurs such as Quinn Simmons for stage honours. On the sport's biggest climbs he has measured himself against the dominant Tadej Pogačar, the rider whose pace ultimately ended his spell in yellow at the 2025 Tour.
Personal life
Healy's Irish identity, inherited through his grandparents, has become central to his public story, and his Tour heroics were celebrated enthusiastically across Ireland. Off the bike he is known for a straightforward, hard-working temperament that matches his racing, a rider who lets his aggressive style do the talking.
Records and milestones
- First Irishman to wear the Tour de France yellow jersey since Stephen Roche (2025); fourth Irish rider ever to lead the Tour
- Tour de France stage winner (stage 6, 2025) and Super Combativity award winner, 2025
- Giro d'Italia stage winner (stage 8, 2023) on Grand Tour debut
- GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano winner (2023)
- Podium at Brabantse Pijl and 4th at Liège-Bastogne-Liège (2023)
What's next for Ben Healy?
Healy heads into the 2026 season as one of EF Education-EasyPost's marquee riders, with the Ardennes Classics and further Grand Tour stage glory firmly in his sights. The open question is how far his all-round strength can take him in the general classification of a Grand Tour; for now, expect him to keep doing what he does best: attacking, animating the biggest races, and turning long-range moves into wins.
