"I reckon I got the biggest cheer out of anyone" - Ben Healy bravely honours the Yellow Jersey on Hautacam at Tour de France

His time in the Yellow Jersey might have come to an end on the stage 12 summit finish at Hautacam, but Ben Healy continues to do himself proud at the 2025 Tour de France.

After his stage win in the opening week, and an incredible breakaway performance to take the race lead before the rest day, keeping the Maillot Jaune post-Hautacam always looked a challenge for the Irishman, but he gave his all to honour the sport's most iconic jersey, eventually coming home in a creditable 25th place on the stage.

"The guys did a really big job. The whole team honoured this jersey. I am super grateful to everyone for today. We did the perfect race. We wanted a big break and to show ourselves at the front and that is what we did. Harry Sweeny was up there as well, and he really saved me a lot of time today," he reflected afterwards in a post-stage press release on the official website of the EF Education-EasyPost team.

"I just got cooked out there a little bit. So, that is all she wrote. The fans were absolutely incredible. Coming up the last climb, I was 13 minutes behind, and I reckon I got the biggest cheer out of anyone," Healy continues. "I want to say thank you to anyone who's written my name or shouted for me or cheered me on. It was just amazing."

"Two days in yellow is never enough, but I think we had a lot of fun for those two days. It was a real honour," added team boss Jonathan Vaughters. "There aren't going to be very many teams who get to wear the yellow jersey in this year's Tour de France. We'll be one of the few. It’s been a real pleasure to watch how this organization reacted and adapted to having what is the most coveted thing in the world of professional cycling."

Now, it's time to look towards the remainder of the race. "We’ll decide regarding Ben and whether he continues with the top 10 GC ambition on Superbagneres. I still believe he can be in the top 10 if it cools down, Ben's just not a super rider in in heat, and it is supposed to cool down and we are supposed to get a little bit of rain," Vaughters assesses. "And if that happens, I think we could revive his chances of getting a top 10. If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen."

"There are three more stages left in this race that I think are suited for breakaways that our team could win from," he concludes. "So, we'll chase those three remaining breakaway stages, and we'll chase the top 10. Who knows? Maybe we will come away with both."