Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) has cemented his place as one of the best classics riders in the world after today adding 3rd place at Liège-Bastogne-Liège to 5th at La Flèche Wallonne midweek, 10th at Amstel Gold Race last Sunday, 4th at Strade Bianche - and a stage win at Itzulia Basque Country - all in a matter of weeks.
Healy may not have had the legs to move with Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) today when cycling's new cannibal rode away on Côte de La Redoute, with 35km to go, but the Irishman was the second strongest rider in the race, before eventually finishing 3rd.
He said Pogačar was much stronger today than at last weekend's Amstel, adding he was "ecstatic" to take his first podium finish at a monument, saying it was what he had worked for all winter.
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"We've seen so many times, Tadej and this nuclear attack on these climbs and I just think if you follow, you just burn yourself. My plan all along was to try and set a steady tempo (on La Redoute), or as steady as you can go.
"And you say Ilan (Van Wilder, Soudal-QuickStep) the other day in Amstel Gold, he really held the gap and people able to jump across, and that was always our plan from the beginning. But it didn't quite go that way. I think Tadej was just on another level today so I'm super happy with the podium.
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"We tried to set that pace on La Redoute and let Tadej do his thing, and maybe we would have reeled him but he was a lot stronger today than he was at Amstel. I had good legs and I was able to follow the favourites and made it into Roche-aux-Faucons with a bit of a gap and I had the legs to go.
"Over the top me and Giulio (Ciccone) fully committed to the line and I'm super happy with the result," he said, adding the fact he "sort of bottled it in the first" in the sprint for 2nd did not detract from his day out.
"I'm super happy, it's my first monument podium. I'm really happy I could pay the team back with this, they were great all Ardennes campaign. I'm so happy and I want this to settle in now.
Healy also said when he was chasing with other riders - Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling), Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) and Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) - he they were were all riding as hard as they could in pursuit of Pogačar.
"I don't think we were hanging about," he said. "A podium in a monument, that was always the goal, and that's what I've worked so hard this winter for. I'm ecstatic with it."
