"Stage one looks really good for me" - Ben Healy targeting an early Maillot Jaune on Tour de France debut

After his star performance at the 2023 Giro d'Italia, EF Education-EasyPost's Ben Healy will make his hotly-anticipated Tour de France debut in 2024 and the Irishman is full of ambition.

"The Tour is the biggest race there is and I am really excited for it. It's a pretty big milestone. The first step is making it to the World Tour and the next is going to a Tour," the 23-year-old Irishman previews in conversation with his team's official website, after the announcement of the EF Education-EasyPost lineup fro the 2024 Tour de France was confirmed.

On his Grand Tour debut at the Giro d'Italia last year, Healy managed to claim himself a stage win and wore the King of the Mountains jersey for a couple of days. Ahead of his Tour de France debut, Healy is keen to at least match his previous Giro success this time around. "I'd love to try and win a stage. That’s what I'm good at. That’s what I want to go and try to do," Healy confirms confidently.

So, are there any stages in particular that the Irishman is targeting? "I need a pretty hard day out with a hard finish. Stage one looks really good for me, but there are a few towards the end of the second week as well," Healy assesses, eyeing a potential Maillot Jaune with the stage 1 victory. "Since the Ardennes, I've knuckled down and done the altitude camps and some good races. The preparation has gone well for me. I’m excited that we’re going to get to go for our own opportunities. There will be days when I’m really suffering. I will just go all-in on the days when I’ve got to go all-in and save my legs on the others, when our other guys will be going for it."