Ben Healy has received a big vote of confidence ahead of Belgium's 'Opening Weekend' as the neo-pro has been named in the EF Education-EasyPost starting line-up for the two big fixtures.
The 21-year-old, who scored a series of impressive wins as an U23 rider in recent seasons, will ride Omloop Het Nieuwsblad tomorrow and will then take to the start line of Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne.
Tomorrow's 204.2km Omloop Het Nieuwsblad will be Healy's WorldTour debut just weeks into his career in the top flight, having signed for EF Education-EasyPost from Continental team Trinity Racing over the winter.
The combination of tomorrow's race followed by the 195km Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne on Sunday will be something of a baptism of fire for Healy, who has so far shaped up as a possible classics rider. While he will work towards the team effort - in a line-up that includes the fancied Michael Valgren - the experience should prove invaluable for later in his career.
Related News
He is part of the a team line-up that includes Owain Doull, Jens Keukeleire, Tom Scully, Julius van den Berg, Łukasz Wiśniowski and Valgren, who won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in 2018. There are 13 climbs in tomorrow's race and nine cobble sections.
Healy has already had three outings for his new team, all in Spain, so far this year; Vuelta Murcia (111th), Clasica de Almeria (101st) and Clásica Jaén Paraiso Interior (DNF).
