VIDEO | Tour de France hero Ben Healy celebrates a lap early in criterium race

Ben Healy lit up the 2025 Tour de France with a standout performance that went beyond expectations and into Irish cycling history. The 24-year-old from EF Education-EasyPost claimed a memorable victory on Stage 6, donned the yellow jersey, the first Irishman to do so since Stephen Roche, and sealed a ninth-place finish in the general classification. Just days later in Lisieux, Healy was back in action at the local post-Tour criterium, where he briefly mistimed his celebration. Arms raised a lap too soon, he was quickly overtaken, only to recover, regroup, and still manage to take the win in a wild finish.

“Last year really gave me the confidence that I could race at this level. I just did the hard work and I was always confident that I could do something like a stage win. But to cap it off with the Yellow Jersey and a top 10 in the GC is definitely a bit beyond expectations but I don’t think it’s gonna change the way that I race. I’m just super proud with the level I was here," Healy said after the Tour.

The finish in Lisieux added a moment of drama to an already unforgettable month. Healy misjudged the laps, thinking he had secured the win too early. As riders surged past, he realised the error, turned around, and hit the pedals hard. The recovery was immediate, and Healy managed to sprint back into the lead to cross the line first for real.

“It means a lot that people enjoy the way I race. I just try to do it from the heart, doing what I enjoy and if other people enjoy it as well that’s great."