Ben Healy's World Tour team, EF Education-EasyPost, has unveiled its new kit for the 2023 season, with the Irish rider's look including the tricolour on his right sleeve cuff, denoting his status as former national road race champion.
The 22-year-old is the reigning elite national TT champion, but we'll have to wait a little longer to see his TT champion's kit for the season ahead, which is expected to involve a first Grand Tour start, along with at least one other Irish international.
Eddie Dunbar is confirmed as Team Jayco AlUla team leader for the Giro d'Italia in May, a race that Healy is also expected to ride for his team in what will be his second season at World Tour level.
Healy took a series of great results - marking him out as a really talented reader of races, with the legs to match - in his U23 days, when he rode for Trinity Racing. He took stage victories in the most prestigious stage races for the category; Tour de l'Avenir, Baby Giro and Ronde de l'Isard. He also took 2nd place in the TT stage of the Baby Giro in 2021 and doubled down on that last year with 6th in the TT at the elite Europeans.
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While he did not win a race in what was his first year at World Tour level, he spent a lot of time on the attack in major races. Healy appeared to adjust remarkably well to the longer and harder races against the best riders in the world.
Among the races he animated with strong breakaway rides was Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (1.UWT), the Belgian semi classic. He spent almost 180km in breakaways and was at the front until deep into the finale; a ride that suggested such races will be perfect for him in time.
A few weeks later, at Milano-Torino, he was off the front again, this time making a bid for victory in the finale. In May he was on the attack again on consecutive stages at the Tour of Norway (2.Pro) and was aggressive off the front at the Tour de Wallonie in July.
He then went on to win the Irish TT title, place 3rd in the road race in Kanturk and then take 6th in the TT at the Europeans in Germany in August.
