“Generational talents” “If you want to win races, you have to beat them,” Healy says about Pogacar and Evenepoel’s opponents.

Ben Healy wasn’t able to build on his big year of 2023. The Irish rider from EF Education-EasyPost was sometimes at the front, but in the big races, he was more often called a “place of honour.” He knows he can do better because the competition is so tough, but Healy is not going to sit back and do nothing. He may also be paying more attention to the GC because of this.

Healy and striking sound a lot alike. It was bad that the Irish winner was so combative again this year. “I believe it makes things a little harder because it draws more attention to you, especially when it comes to my style.” But I don’t think it changes how I do things that much. “I still just ride my bike and race,” he told Cyclingnews. In the Amstel Gold Race, that strategy helped him finish in the top three. This year, however, his spring wasn’t quite as good. “My Ardennes obviously wasn’t as good as last year, which was a bit disappointing but being the sort of rider I am, I put it all on the line and it either pays off or it doesn’t.”

Even with the results, the little climber wasn’t unhappy with his season. He just wished he had a big win to show for all his hard work. The way I played was as good as or better than last year, but the scores don’t show it, which is annoying. It hasn’t been a terrible season, but I guess it just hasn’t won that prize. “But that’s a bike race.”

Healy, do you ride Gran Canaria? “That’s something that we need to think about for the future as well”

When Healy first started racing, it was in the Tour de France. His own unique way of racing was allowed there. The best result he had was fifth place on the gravel stage to Troyes, but what he remembers most about the Tour was how crazy it was. “The break fights were crazy and were unlike any other race.” “Everyone wanted to be in there, and everyone fought until no one could fight anymore,” Healy says of the Tour’s frantic stage starts. “That’s kind of the point that it was going to – when everyone was just that f*cked and they couldn’t go anymore.”

That performance at the Tour gave him strength and hope for the future. He discovered that he could handle the extreme aggression. His response is, “It’s made me think about GC a bit.” Thinking back, I believe I could have been in a great overall position going into the third week if I had raced differently in the first two weeks. “I think we should talk about that when the season is over.” Looking forward to doing the same thing again next year (2025), possibly with better results. I will use what I’ve learnt from this year’s experience. Yeah, maybe. Once the Grand Tour routes are released, and I see a chance there, I’ll definitely think about that too.

Healy couldn’t beat Tadej Pogacar in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and he placed tenth at the Paris Olympics, almost a minute and a half behind Remco Evenepoel. This could be because it’s getting harder and harder to compete in one-day races. “It’s absolutely annoying. In any case, you can’t be mad at someone for being better, yeah? It is just the way it is? For example, they’re skills that last through generations, right? That is the current level of riding. To win races, you need to beat Pogaëar and Evenepoel.