The Irishman arrived in Vire Normandie solo after forcing away a breakaway with some of cycling’s biggest stars and then dropping them. Ben won in Ben fashion, riding alone at the front of the race for 42 kilometers in the aero tuck he has honed since he was a junior. By the finish, he was two minutes and 44 seconds ahead of his nearest chasers, the only rider in the finish-line photo.

As his teammates came in, they gathered around the podium to celebrate the biggest win of Ben’s career.

Before his champagne toast at the hotel, we spoke to Ben to ask him about his win.

This is easily the biggest win of my career. This is what I've worked so hard for and sacrificed so much. It makes all the days away from home and hard yards worth it. For it all to come together so early in the race is just such a big relief of emotions. I am super proud of it, really. It is for everyone on this team.

I knew we had to go after the sprint, because Wanty were controlling. And from then on, I just went into crazy attack mode, like I normally do, but maybe a bit less crazy than normal. I was following every move and making sure I was there. It was a hard, hard old fight to get in there.

I was just looking for a chance to come from behind with a bit of speed, not on a big main road. I got Tom and Andreas in the car behind to identify a few spots and that one at a 168 kilometers in was the first one that they had pointed out. I managed to naturally position myself and at good moment just lined it up perfectly and shot down the side with a bit of speed and made it difficult for them to follow.

From there on, I was just head down and go. At that point, I'm just trying to think, ‘How do I get to the finish line as fast as possible?’. It is a matter of getting aero, pressing on the climbs, recovering on the descents, just doing that, and maximizing everything to go faster.

I started to realize it was going to happen before the penultimate kicker. I was pretty confident. Then, I hit the kickers, and it was like, ‘Oh’. I started to doubt a bit again, because my legs were so sore. That last climb was horrible. I only really got to enjoy it as I as coming up to the line.

Seeing the boys afterwards, it really started to hit home. I started to get a bit emotional. We're all, ultimately, just really good friends. We're all rooting for each other one way or another, and it definitely meant a lot to see the boys there. That's when the emotions first really hit me, when they were all there waiting and celebrating. It's everyone's victory, not just mine. That stands for everyone on the team. It’s just so special to be able to do this with some genuine friends.

I think this win gives me the ability to lose. It is not so much that I will be more willing to take risks, but I think I will race with a different mindset. I had never won a Tour stage before, and I was just so hungry for it. Sometimes, I ended up pushing it a bit too much, just making sure I wouldn’t miss anything. Whereas now, I definitely think I will become more calm and calculated.