"What can you say... Just insane" - Battling Ben Healy misses out on podium in World Championships but full of praise for Tadej Pogacar
Cycling
Ben Healy put in a typically brave and battling display in the men's elite road race at the 2024 World Championships in Zurich. Sadly for the Irishman though, he couldn't quite reward his efforts with a spot on the final podium.
"It was bloody hard to be honest," admits the EF Education - EasyPost rider honestly in his post-race interview afterwards. After the eventual race victor Tadej Pogacar attacked clear with 100km to go, heading into the finale, it was Healy and Latvia's Toms Skujins who were leading the chase behind and actually making inroads into Pogacar's advantage at one point.
"Luckily I was with Toms Skujins, who was really strong today. I did what I had to do, but I guess I didn't have the legs today. Thanks Toms!" Healy laughed. "I did what I could, but Skujins had better legs. I hoped that I could contribute a bit more myself, then we might have stayed away. I tried to play my cards in the final, but oh well... It wasn't meant to be, unfortunately."
In the end, Healy had to settle for a 7th placed finish at the line, 58 seconds behind Pogacar, whom Healy was understandably full of praise for in his comments. "I'm very happy with that. I put everything on the line, and I almost succeeded. That's all you can ask for," the 24-year-old concludes. "What can you say... Just really insane. I don't think anyone expected him to attack with a hundred kilometres to go."
| 1 | POGAČAR Tadej | Slovenia | 6:27:30 |
| 2 | O'CONNOR Ben | Australia | 0:34 |
| 3 | VAN DER POEL Mathieu | Netherlands | 0:58 |
| 4 | SKUJIŅŠ Toms | Latvia | ,, |
| 5 | EVENEPOEL Remco | Belgium | ,, |
| 6 | HIRSCHI Marc | Switzerland | ,, |
| 7 | HEALY Ben | Ireland | 1:00 |
| 8 | MAS Enric | Spain | 1:01 |
| 9 | SIMMONS Quinn | United States | 2:18 |
| 10 | BARDET Romain | France | ,, |
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
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- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
- they can sign any 100 of top riders today but Pogi will win over Remco any time at the TDF unless something goes wrongabstractengineer10-11-2026
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Number 7 in the world, number 1 in our hearts. 💕 What a ride by Ben Healy at #Zurich2024.
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