Meticulous planning by Healy and EF Education-EasyPost pays off: "We had the exact moment in mind"

After the stage, the friendly Irishman said he had done everything he could to win this stage in the Tour de France. “It's really unbelievable; it's what I've always worked for, not just this year but my entire career,” Healy said in the flash interview. "Hours and hours of hard work by so many people, I was able to repay that today, and that's fantastic."

He made his Tour debut in 2024, but a stage win did not materialize at that time. Nevertheless, the foundation was laid for the monstrous solo he pulled off in Normandy. “Last year was an eye-opener for me; that’s when I started to believe I could do it. I just had to keep my head in the game and keep working hard. I tried to refine my racing style, and I watched a lot of footage. That paid off today.”

It wasn't easy because the opening phase was brutal. "I was upfront from the start. I may have given a little too much to get into the breakaway, but that's how I do it. We really had to work to maintain the lead; it was pushing hard on the pedals all day. I knew I had to pull away and choose my moment. I think my timing was good; I surprised them a little. Then, I had to keep my head down and do my best until the finish line. Ultimately, the average speed was 46 kilometers per hour after climbing 3,500 meters."

Healy had already enjoyed success as a stage winner in the Tour of the Basque Country, in a similar stage. He later finished third in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. It was, therefore, not surprising that the EF Education - EasyPost rider had picked this stage as his target. “This was a stage I had circled in red from the start, to go for it at the first opportunity, which is great.” In the end, Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) crossed the finish line in second place, 2.45 minutes behind the winner.

He couldn't contain his joy because every rider wants to win the Tour de France from an early age. “I grew up watching the Tour; I hoped I could be there one day. That in itself is an achievement, but to then win a stage: that's amazing.” So far, La Grande Boucle has been a spectacular event, but there won't be a Netflix special this year: the streaming service is ending after its third season. “Maybe they can include last year's spectacular sixth stage,” Healy jokes.

EF Education - EasyPost was overjoyed, especially after the withdrawal of their leader, Richard Carapaz. Sports director Tom Southam said that this stage, as well as the attack and its timing, had been planned. "Yes, definitely. It was one of those days where everything was planned down to the last detail, and that's exactly how it went," the Brit told NOS. “This morning, we had a rough idea of where the attack would take place, and later in the afternoon, we knew the exact moment in our minds. We had the advantage that van der Poel was riding for the yellow jersey and not necessarily for the stage.”

After the coordinated attack, Healy was quickly able to pull away: the gap quickly grew to a minute and beyond. “There was a lot of exhaustion among the guys in the group because of the way the stage started,” explained Southam, who himself rode for Barloworld, among others. “Dunbar made a remarkable effort to catch up, and it was also the first hot day. That allowed him to pull away quickly.”

The sports director has been working closely with the stage winner for some time, so he knows how much it means to the Irishman. "It's huge; it means a lot to him. When he missed a Tour stage last year, I could see he was determined to win one. Now he's got it. He doesn't win easily because his sprint isn't great. He has to do it the hard way. What a day.'