After spending the day within the breakaway, Ben Healy launched a solo assault in a bid for glory on the Tour de France stage 14 within the Pyrenees on Saturday. The Irishman hit the underside of the ultimate climb, the Pla d’Adet (10.6km at 7.9%) wIrishman awarded most combative rider for his solo attackith simply over a minute to the yellow-jersey group that was on a mission to get the time bonus seconds on the end line.
But Healy was caught by yellow jersey Tadej Pogačar and his UAE teammate Adam Yates, and the hope for a stage victory needed to be postponed to a different day.
As anticipated on such a tough stage, the struggle to get into the breakaway began from the flag drop on the 152km stage with EF Education-Easypost within the combine, launching a number of makes an attempt to pressure a separation.
Healy and his teammates Sean Quinn and Rui Costa jumped into an enormous chase group, trying to connect with the breakaway because the Col du Tourmalet loomed. By the time, the 19 km-long climb was executed, 10 riders had been off the entrance together with Healy and US Champion Quinn. Working for his teammate, Quinn did enormous pulls on the entrance, however behind the UAE-led peloton was bringing the hole down.
With 35km to go, an assault by David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) brought on Quinn to drop off the tempo, leaving Healy and 4 different riders off the entrance. As the quintet made the precise flip onto the ten.6km climb to Pla d’Adet, the hole was hovering over the minute mark. Healy was in a position to crack his breakmates, and nonetheless had a one-minute lead with 8km to go on the hors class climb, however he was quickly caught and handed by Yates and Pogačar.
“With the hole we had, it was all the time going to be formidable. I simply knew I needed to go full gasoline from the underside, which is what I did. I held in there for a bit of bit however it wasn’t meant to be immediately,” Healy stated.
“I don’t know if disappointment is the precise phrase, it’s simply bike racing on the finish of the day. I gave all the things to be within the break and I used to be within the break with good legs however I used to be Tadej and I had legs like him, then I believe I’d race the identical manner. There’s not quite a bit you are able to do about it.
“We took our greatest shot. That’s what we’ve got to do, take the alternatives after we get them. My teammates did an ideal job immediately for me. They took me into the break.”
Once caught, Healy sat up and loved the cheers of the crowds earlier than crossing the end line in sixteenth place, 3:27 from stage winner Pogačar. He was awarded probably the most combative rider prize for the day.
“I believe the group was one thing particular, it’s nearly deafening going up this climb and have individuals scream your title, it’s for positive actually particular.”
Healy went on the assault quite a few instances throughout the Tour to date, and he took fifth on stage 9 when the break made it to the road. He’s not executed.
“I simply must take the nice legs ahead hopefully and I’m positive there shall be some extra alternatives.”
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