"From now on, I will turn my focus towards the GC" - Can Ben Healy prove genuine podium threat at 2025 Tour de France after taking Maillot Jaune?

Following in the footsteps of legendary figures such as Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche, former Irish national champion Ben Healy has written himself into his nation's sporting folklore and taken control of the Maillot Jaune at the Tour de France. With 10 of 21 stages down, the question now is, just how long can Healy keep himself in GC contention?

Starting the day 3 minutes and 55 seconds behind the overall leader, Ben Healy joined the breakaway and spent much of the stage riding near the front. For most of the day, he looked to be safely in control of the virtual yellow jersey. However, a late surge from Team Visma | Lease a Bike put serious pressure on the general classification group, leaving Healy with a tense wait after finishing third on the stage. Ultimately, Tadej Pogacar chose not to contest the jersey, finishing alongside Jonas Vingegaard 4 minutes and 20 seconds behind Healy — enough to hand the Irish rider a 29-second lead over Pogacar in the overall standings.

"This is just a fairytale, a dream come true," reflected an emotional Healy in his post-stage interview afterwards. "Had you told me before the Tour de France that I was going to be here, in the Yellow Jersey after winning a stage earlier on, I wouldn’t have believed it."

"It wasn’t exactly the plan," he admits. "We were surprised that UAE Team Emirates let such a big break up the road, and we took advantage of it by putting four riders in there. I have to say a big thank you to my teammates Neilson Powless, Alex Baudin and Harry Sweeny because, without them, getting the Yellow Jersey would have been impossible."

"At some point, the stage became a fight against myself. I know I was taking some risks by digging so deep for so long, but how often does an opportunity like this come around?" Healy continues. "It was pretty nerve-wrecking to wait for four minutes in order to find out whether I was in yellow or not. Had Tadej [Pogacar] raced all the way to the top of the final climb, I might have a different jersey now."

In the end though, it is the Yellow Jersey that Healy can carry into the rest day, becoming just the 4th Irishman in history to lead the Tour de France. "I’m super proud to represent Ireland. This success is still sinking in, and I’m pretty emotional," he concludes, admitting he might now need to reassess his focus for the remainder of the Grand Tour. "From now on, I will turn my focus towards the GC in order to respect the Yellow Jersey and try to keep it for as long as possible."