Racing
Ben Healy races to second on Mont Ventoux
Irishman attacks the Giant of Provence
July 22, 2025
After leaving the peloton behind him in the crosswinds on the run up to the climb, Ben attacked all the way up the Giant of Provence.
He rode into the final kilometer in a group of three and launched again, rounding the final corner before the summit tower in the lead, before getting pipped at the line.
“I think I played it really nicely in the break and never really touched the wind once until Ventoux,” Ben said after congratulating the race winner. “I hit Ventoux and I wasn’t really sure how my legs were. I took it steady at the bottom and kind of went at a nice pace. It’s an hour-long climb. Then, I started to realize I was actually feeling really good today and we definitely could race for the win. I just did a little bit too little too late, I think, because this top section is a bit shallower and the headwind was just too hard to break Valentin today. I tried to get a jump on him in the finish, because I knew he was more explosive than me on a finish like this. I did my best but didn’t quite get him.”
Ben’s Mont Ventoux stunt gained him time on GC too. He is now ninth overall in the race for the yellow jersey, as the Tour de France heads for the Alps.
Sports director Tom Southam is proud of the way Ben attacked Mont Ventoux.
“On paper we hadn't marked this down as a day where there would be an opportunity for us,” Tom said. “We went into the stage thinking it would be more for the heavyweight GC guys. But then this morning, late on, we got the feeling that it would be worth Ben being there if the breakaway group was big, and we could get there without much effort, because UAE might let the guys in the top ten on GC but far back on time go. So we were on the lookout for those opportunities. It popped up, obviously, and he slipped into a move really well without making a lot of effort. The race was on and on and on and we didn't know what was going to happen, but he was in the right spot. He did fantastic to stay cool when the other climbers from the group were up the road. He played that very well, waiting patiently. Obviously, he did a fantastic climb. Close to the end, he looked stronger at some points, but that’s not necessarily the winner.”
Not today. But Ben rode like a champion on Mont Ventoux.
