Ben Healy falters after breakaway heroics, but still in frame for yellow | Video

Ben Healy checks up at the time as he finishes his TT, in the yellow jersey, on stage 4 at Tour de Luxembourg (Photo: Serge Waldbillig)

Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) has relinquished the race lead at Tour de Luxembourg, by a tiny margin. He has given up his first career yellow jersey just 24 hours after his long-range stage-winning breakaway effort perhaps sapped him of some of his power for today's 23.9km race against the clock in Pétange.

Aside from today performing below what he is capable of, Healy suffered the misfortunate of his closest rivals in the general classification putting in very strong performances. And though that has resulted in the 23-year-old Irish rider losing his race lead, he is still in with a great chance of taking it back tomorrow on the final stage as the gaps are very small.

Today's TT - which was undulating but featured no significant climb - was won by Victor Campenaerts (Lotto Dstny) in a time of 28:06 - averaging 51.032kmph. He was just one second faster than runner-up Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates), with Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates) 3rd at 20 seconds.

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Healy, last man off, finished back in 15th place and at 49 seconds. He had started the stage in yellow, some 19 seconds up on March Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates), with Dylan Teuns (Israel-Premier Tech) 3rd at 24 seconds. McNulty was 6th overall at 47 seconds.

Archie Ryan (Jumbo Visma), who put in a storming ride for 6th on the queen stage yesterday, was 61st today at 2:14, and is now 29th overall at 2:34. With some climbing to come tomorrow, we may see more of him on that final stage.

When McNulty went close to the win today, and Hirschi put in a very strong performance for 7th, some 27 seconds down on Campenaerts, both leapfrogged Healy on GC going into tomorrow's final stage; a lumpy 177.2km from Mersch to Luxembourg Limpertsberg.

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However, while Healy is no longer in the yellow jersey, he is still 3rd. He is three seconds down on new race leader, Hirschi, and just one second down on McNulty in 2nd. Next best overall is Ulissi in 4th, some 33 seconds down.

Those small gaps at the top between the top three should deliver a great battle for overall victory tomorrow, especially as there is a series of small climbs in the final, including one to the finish line.

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