Ireland's Ben Healy takes Yellow Jersey in Tour de France

It follows Healy's maiden Tour stage win in stage six of the race to Vire Normandie.

Guest and EF Education - EasyPost team's Irish rider Ben Healy celebrates on the podium with the overall leader's yellow jersey after the 10th stage of the 112th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 165.3 km between Ennezat and Le Mont-Dore Puy de Sancy, in central France.  Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images

Ben Healy rode himself into the ground in a nail-biting finale to become the first Irishman in 38 years to wear the yellow jersey at the Tour de France, as Britain’s Simon Yates claimed victory in stage 10 on Monday with a perfectly timed attack.

Giro d’Italia champion Yates emerged from the day’s breakaway to secure his third career Tour stage win, pulling away on the final climb to beat Thymen Arensman of the Netherlands and Healy, who finished second and third, respectively.

Heading into the first rest day, Healy leads defending champion Tadej Pogacar by 29 seconds in the general classification, after the Slovenian eased off on the final ascent.

Belgian Remco Evenepoel sits third, one minute further back, after losing six seconds in the closing kilometres when Pogacar briefly surged in an attempt to test Jonas Vingegaard, widely seen as his main rival for the overall title.

Vingegaard stayed locked onto Pogacar’s wheel and remains 1:17 behind the UAE Team Emirates leader.

As Pogacar approached the finish, Healy smiled while watching the Slovenian on the giant screen.

With Pogacar visibly backing off, the EF Education–EasyPost rider crossed the line to become the first Irishman to lead the Tour since Stephen Roche won the race in 1987.

Healy had looked one of the strongest riders in the breakaway on the 165.3-km hilly route from Ennezat, but Yates timed his move to perfection, attacking solo on the final climb to seal a tactical victory.

Other Irishmen to hold yellow are Shay Elliot and Sean Kelly.

Kelly told TNT Sports: "What a performance by Ben Healy, going on a big attack.

"This is the performance of his life. We’ve seen him do magnificent things before but today was another step up."

Former Irish road racer Dan Martin, who won Tour de France stages in 2013 and 2018, added:  “I went to see him after he won the stage and he was speechless. I’m excited for the country, for Ben, for the team."

After Tuesday's rest, and Wednesday's flat stage around Toulouse, the peloton will head into the Pyrenees, where the GC battle will heat up.

REUTERS

CLASSIFICATION

1. Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) 

2. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates XRG), +29secs 

3. Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), +1min 29secs 

4. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), +1min 46secs 

5. Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike), +2mins 6secs