Ben Healy missed his beloved classics, but spies an advantage for the Tour de France

Ben Healy had a great 2025, including fantastic performances in the Ardennes and a phenomenal Tour de France. This year, however, his chances were rudely disrupted by injury, but the Irishman from EF Education-EasyPost returns to racing at the Tour Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes, and has more hope than ever of riding a great Tour.

Healy had made the classic spring a big goal, but he crashed hard in the Tour of the Basque Country. He broke his sacrum in the crash, preventing him from competing in the Ardennes. Fortunately for the 25-year-old climber, he did not have to go under the knife, which means he could be back on the course a month before the Tour.

'I was able to resume my training pretty quickly after the Ardennes Classics, and it's been a smooth sailing since then,' Healy told his team's website. 'Missing those races was disappointing, but if there was a silver lining, it was that April was probably a better time for a reset to rebuild toward the Tour. I didn't miss any preparation, and I'm ready for the Tour Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes.'

In the race formerly called the Critérium du Dauphiné, Healy will not expect too much of himself just yet. 'It's always hard for me to get back into racing after a period without races, but I'll look at it day by day, and see how far I can get at the end. I have no crazy ambitions, so it's mainly about getting in as good shape as possible for the Tour de France.

Sport director Charly Wegelius also sees that Healy is mostly preparing for the Tour. 'There's a chance he's made a little more progress than we had planned beforehand, but that's definitely a good thing. We know that Ben is feeling good, but I wouldn't discount that he will have a bad day somewhere in the course. However, he will also have more good days than last year.'

There are some nice hill stages, stages that should suit the Irishman well. 'We'll see where everyone sits after the first stage, which is abnormally difficult for an opening stage. But I think the course could potentially open up for our riders, who could then find success in the quest for stage wins. For Ben, there are some great stages: there's plenty for him to go for.'