When Ben Healy arrives on the start line of any race with a waxed chain, an aero skin suit and a time trial helmet, you know he means business. Unfortunately for his breakaway compatriots on stage six of the Tour de France, the Irishman brought his typical breakaway A-game on Thursday. The result? A 40km solo victory in baking Vire Normandie.
The scene outside the EF Education-EasyPost bus as Healy crossed the line was one of jubilation. Cheers erupted from inside the air-conditioned confines as team staff spilled outside to welcome the return of sports directors Tom Southam and Charly Wegelius, two of the masterminds who helped set up their rider's move.
Healy was combative from the off on stage six, racing aggressively before he eventually made an attack stick. Sensing it was going to take a surprise move to escape solo, he launched a flyer from just before the 40km to go mark, which he then saw through to the line.
"The way that I look at it is really like it’s a mental game," he explained afterwards. "I try to push on the climbs and go easier on the descents – that then slowly draws out that elastic and lulls them into a false sense of security, I guess. I think that’s how I'm really able to tear out the gap.
"I don’t push the most power out of everyone but I just try and be as efficient as I possibly can. Today I had full TT tyres, a waxed chain, a TT skinsuit, road-ish helmet and just maximised absolutely everything."
Tudor Pro Cycling’s Michael Storer and Lidl-Trek's Quinn Simmons eventually took off in pursuit of the Irishman but the duo left it too late to reel him back in.
"It was a very, very strong group of riders and I didn’t believe in just attacking away purely by legs," Healy said of his winning move. "I was just waiting for a moment to try and find some speed and then catch them by surprise. That moment just came at around 40km to go on a twisty road and it was just perfect, perfect timing."
After he had taken flight, Healy’s advantage quickly shot up, eventually touching the two-minute mark. EF sports director Southam explained he got so excited by the move, he even began to consider the possibility of taking the yellow jersey, as well as the stage win.
"I spoke to the other DSs and they told me to shut the f*** up and try to win the stage," Southam laughed with reporters. "For us this is the biggest release of pressure we’ve ever had in a Tour. I've never stared down the barrel of a Tour with so few opportunities for teams that want to win the Tour, so I think it means we have an opportunity to do much more. We’re in the driving seat now and we’ve done it."
According to Southam, Healy immediately marked stage six "with an X" the moment the Tour route was released during the winter. The team then cooked up a plan to ensure their man could have his moment, which even involved driving part of the course early on Thursday morning pre-race in order to decide the exact moment that Healy would strike.
"Ben is very trusting when it comes to these things," Southam said. "There was a combination of things he needed and I found them, by hook or by crook. I knew once that race had taken shape, Ben had an advantage because of how resilient he is. But the credit goes to the rider every time as he has the idea and believes in it."
Another of EF's sports directors, Wegelius, said Healy's attack might inspire others to be more "cold-blooded" in races. When did he know his rider had won? "We're kind of old farts in the car, and we've been burnt a few times. It was literally when we saw his face on the big screen at the finish," Wegelius said.
The rest of the EF riders eventually arrived back at the bus, with staff jokingly asking what had taken them so long. A delighted Neilson Powless explained that the rest of the squad had waited at the finish line to see their team-mate on the podium, before riding back to celebrate.
Fellow EF rider, Michael Valgren, hailed Healy's ride as "out of this world".
"This means everything to us," Valgren told Cycling Weekly. "We planned it and we knew he had to go early, because this is what he can do, and he did. But you need the legs to finish it off, and he had them. It's amazing."
