Ben Healy came extremely close to winning his second stage at the 2025 Tour de France, but one man stood in his way. Boosted by the crazed crowds on the flanks of Mont Ventoux, Valentin Paret-Peintre left everything on the road - just enough to narrowly edge out Healy who had to settle for a bitter second place.
"I knew I was in pretty good shape this Tour, so the plan was to just ride up the Ventoux as hard as possible," Healy told his story after the stage. "We maintained a good pace in the group at the beginning, but it was difficult to coordinate. I said: we'll catch Mas first, and then we can play the game. We ultimately did that all the way to the finish, because at the top, with that headwind, it was harder to gain a gap."
Healy reveals that he had a good idea of how the finish on Ventoux was laid out and tried to play his cards the best way possible by approaching the last sharp turn from first spot. "I knew about the right-hand hairpin in the final meters; I wanted to distance myself from Paret-Peintre before that," the Irishman from EF Education-EasyPost analyzes his final.
Frankly, playing it smart was not enough to hold off his French rival. "I managed it, but those last hundred meters felt so incredibly long. He had the better legs in that final push, so he was able to pass me."
Would he have the opportunity to do things over again, Healy admits he would approach the final climb differently: "In retrospect, I should have pushed a bit harder on the steeper sections; I definitely had the legs for that. But anyway, I didn't [win]."
Healy was at least rewarded for his heroics with a move up to 9th spot overall, jumping over Carlos Rodríguez (INEOS Grenadiers). In addition, the struggling Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) is within the Irishman's reach.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- Love this guy. He is such a pure racer.mij07-11-2026
- Fair enough. Everyone’s entitled to one and I respect yours! Nothing wrong with being a one week and GT guy if that’s his vibemij07-11-2026
- LOL...it's a predetermined finish ! N one is 'clashing' at these exhibition crits!frieders307-11-2026
- Surely the UCI and the race organisers have a responsibility to ensure the best medical care is available to riders when incidents like this happen. All very well pushing for global expansion but not so good if riders lives are put at risk because medical support is not up to scratch.Andy12306-11-2026
- Well it clearly helps that this was Pidcock's own car, no?Occam06-11-2026
- The American performance at the World's road race was a masterclass in cycling tactics. If it wasn't McNulty, it might well have been Jorgensen or Simmons to take off and win in a solo break.Occam06-11-2026
- What a gimmick
Rafionain-Glas06-11-2026 - Thats only cause he rides for UAE. In any other team he would be captain in many races atleast. UAE is just to crazymiguel06-11-2026
- He seems to be the rare athlete whose passion and curiosity about life beyond his sport equals his extraordinary achievements in it. It would be great for him to risk less of that life. He seems very grateful and joyful for what he has already attained.
MarkFour06-11-2026 - As much as I admire and even revere Wout, the less I know about his backside the better.MidnightRider06-11-2026
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