Ben Healy has been confirmed to ride the Tour de France, as expected, with his EF Education-EasyPost team on Tuesday confirming its line-up for the three week race starting in Lille this weekend.
The US-registered World Tour squad has been forced to change its focus after its big general classification hope, Richard Carapaz, was ruled out with a gastrointestinal infection. He fell ill last week while training in his home country of Ecuador.
Carapaz rode a fantastic Giro, taking a stage and finishing 3rd overall, and was unlucky not to win the race overall for the second time in his career. However, while his absence is a blow, it opens up chances for Healy in that the Irishman will now be much freer to target his own results.
Healy was always going into the Tour, even when Carapaz was down to ride, looking for a stage win, telling stickybottle in recent weeks taking a victory, rather than riding for general classification would be his priority.
The team has no intention of now installing Healy as a general classification rider, instead restating the intention for the attacking climber to try for a stage victory, with his team mates all behind that plan, and some also capable of a victory themselves.
“I would love to win a stage,” Healy said as his team’s line-up was confirmed. “Last year was my first experience at the Tour and it was just massive. I am really proud of the way we raced last year. We were always part of the action.
“It’s a shame that we lost Richie in the run up this time, because he was flying at the Giro, but I think the rest of us are ready to step up. We will have lots of chances. We’ve got a really balanced team that can go for it almost every day at the Tour.
“This spring gave me a lot of confidence. I got my best results in the Ardennes and at Strade and had the win in the Basque Country. Since the Dauphiné, I have been working hard up at altitude in Andorra. Now it’s time to race.”
Also in the EF Education-EasyPost Tour de France line-up are: Harry Sweeny, Neilson Powless, Vincenzo Albanese, Michael Valgren, Alex Baudin, Kasper Asgreen, and Marijn van den Berg.
Valgren returns to the race after battling back from career-threatening injuries in a crash in 2022; his comeback to the highest level involving a drop down to Continental team, EF Education-NIPPO Development Team, for the 2023 season.
