🎥 Beer, champagne, and a McDrive? EF celebrates Healy's yellow jersey in EF style: "A small treat for the long journey"

Speaking to NOS, it is clear that Healy is still struggling to find the words. “It's just unbelievable, I can't really believe it yet,” he says. The all-rounder came to the Tour to win stages, which he did in Vire Normandie. To grab the yellow jersey not long after is the icing on the cake. “How many riders have had the chance to wear the yellow jersey? But now I've achieved both, which is unreal.”

It wasn't easy, due to the pressure from UAE Team Emirates - XRG in the peloton. “We just had to see how the stage unfolded and how UAE would ride. It was really up to them. They rode a very different race than they normally would, and we took full advantage of that. We had four men in the breakaway, and when the gap started to grow, we started to feel optimistic. Then we gave it our all.”

At Eurosport, the day's number three talked more about his fantastic coup. “It was such a tough ride. I'm a bit emotionless at the moment because I'm so tired. But I still can't believe it. If someone had told me that I would win a stage and be in yellow before the first rest day, I wouldn't have believed it.” After Jasper Philipsen, Mathieu van der Poel, and Pogacar, Healy is the fourth yellow jersey wearer of this Tour de France.

He couldn't have done it without his team, who were very active in the breakaway. “Without them, I wouldn't be in yellow right now. I really have to thank the guys. Harry Sweeney is a real truck, and Alex Baudin really made a huge effort. They could have gone for a stage win themselves on other days.” In the final, however, he had to do it himself: the other breakaway riders battled for the stage win. “I knew they would go for the stage, so I knew I had to stay focused and just keep riding.”

Sports director Andreas Klier was ecstatic after his team secured the yellow jersey. “I've lost my voice; the last 2 kilometers were very loud in our car,” said the German after the finish. "But man, I'm elated. We didn't expect it. We wanted to fight for another stage win, and we'll continue to do so. But no one said this morning, "Let's go for yellow."

The fact that it was a real team effort makes it even better. “The team has been perfect for 10 days now. We haven't always had the chance to show it, but now there was an opportunity to show how good everyone was. The yellow jersey, how cool is that?” After Seamus Elliott, Stephen Roche, and the legendary Sean Kelly, Healy is the fourth Irishman ever to wear the yellow jersey. “Sean Kelly is my favorite rider ever. I still have one of his jerseys in my closet; he's the best rider ever. And now it's Ben! That's awesome.”

After the race, Michael Valgren spoke to the Danish publication Feltet, where Healy's Danish teammate shared a special deal. "We had said that if things went well today, the bus driver would take us to a McDonald's drive-thru. I think having yellow in the team is a good reason," Valgren smiled. ‘So I think we can expect a visit to McDonald's, a little treat for the long journey ahead of us," the Dane added.

Valgren was also full of praise for Healy's performance. “He's just a genuinely good guy. He's serious, he's funny, and he lives the kind of life you need to live as a professional cyclist, but without overdoing it. He has a great sense of balance,” said the 33-year-old. “I'm incredibly happy for him. He's a fantastic guy to have at the table, and he deserves this.”

Following Healy's stage win on day six and the team's yellow jersey, EF has had a successful first week. “The Tour was basically already saved with the stage win in stage 6. We rode fantastically. Of course, success tastes like more, so we'll have to set new goals, but right now, we're just pleased. It's incredible,” Valgren concluded. “The yellow jersey means so much, especially in the Tour.”

Whether the EF bus driver actually went to the fast food chain's drive-through is still unknown... No images of this have been released.