Ben Healy profile: All you need to know about Ireland's latest cycling history maker
HISTORY MAKER: New overall leader Ireland's Ben Healy celebrates on the podium after the tenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 165.3 kilometers. Pic: AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy.
Ben Healy made history on Monday as he became the first Irishman in 38 years to wear the yellow jersey at the Tour de France.
The only three other Irishmen to hold yellow are Stephen Roche – the most recent Irish cyclist to achieve the feat back in 1987 - Shay Elliot (1963) and Sean Kelly (1983), with the latter summing up the enormity of Healy’s achievement when speaking to 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."
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.
But just who is Ben Healy? takes a closer look at his life and career so far.
Ben Healy was born in Wordsley, Dudley in the West Midlands of England.
Ben was born on the 11th of September 2000, making him 24-years-old.
Healy has Irish heritage through his father’s parents, who were born in Waterford. Ben’s dad Bryan is the youngest of three siblings and was the only one to be born in England.
“I am super proud to represent that side of me,” Healy told Velo News previously.
“My identity with Ireland has really grown. For sure I was a bit of an outsider within the cycling community in Ireland at first, but after a while, I started to make a few friends.
“There is still occasionally a bit of a backlash, I guess, but I really do feel welcomed and accepted, which is super nice.
“Now some of my really good friends within the sport are Irish."
In 2019 Healy won a stage of the Tour de l’Avenir, becoming the youngest-ever stage winner in the history of the race at just 18-years-old.
Healy then won the Irish road race championship in 2020 and also took a stage in the Ronde de l’Isoard.
In 2021 he finished first, second, and third on stages of the Baby Giro, or Giro Ciclistico d’Italia, leading to EF Education First securing his services before he made his professional debut in the 2022 season.
In Healy’s first season as a pro, he raced well and secured good placings on a number of occasions, just being caught close to the line in a few of those events.
In 2023, Healy won the GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano and claimed podium finishes in the Amstel Gold Race and the Brabantse Pijl, along with a fourth place finish in the Liège–Bastogne–Liège.
In 2024 he competed in his first Tour de France where he finished fifth on stage 9 before landing the combativity award on stage 14. Healy then took part in the road race at the Paris Olympic Games later in the year, finishing 10th overall.
And finally in 2025, before earning the right to wear the yellow jersey on Monday, Healy claimed the first Tour de France stage win of his career last Thursday.
