Ben Healy has put in the ride of his career at Amstel Gold Race, breaking through to the top tier of pro cycling with 2nd place in the first of the three Ardennes Classics
Ireland's Ben Healy may have put in a very strong season to date - with two wins so far - but the EF Education-EasyPost rider enjoyed a real breakthrough day in his career at Amstel Gold Race today.
It is not exaggeration to say his 2nd place in Amstel Gold Race - the first of the Ardennes Classics - has seen him break through to the very top tier of riders in professional cycling. Though he is still aged just 22 years, and is only at the start of his second year at World Tour level, he will now be regarded as a dangerman by the biggest riders.
Healy dropped Tom Pidock (Ineos Grenadiers), on the Geulhemmerberg climb, with 13km to go, at which point Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) had already dropped both of them to lead alone after they had formed a three-rider breakaway in the final of the 253.6km race.
Advertisement
And from that point, Healy began eating into the lead of Pogačar. However, the two-time Tour de France winner was informed of the reducing gap and redoubled his efforts to hold off Healy - growing the advantage from about 20 seconds to just over 40 seconds with some 5km remaining.
Behind Healy, Pidcock continued to slip backwards and when he reached the 5km to go marker, he was about one minute down on Healy and being chased by a small group and having to work hard as he tried to hold on to 3rd place.
That's the way it stayed to the finish, Pogačar winning from Healy and Pidcock; all three finishing on their own, though Pidcock was very nearly caught on the line. After six hours of racing, Healy finished 38 seconds down on Pogačar.
Related News
Pidcock was then 3rd, at 2:14, and just managed to stay clear of long-time chasers Andreas Kron (Lotto-Dstny) and Alexey Lutsenko (Astana-Qazaqstan). Kron was 4th and Lutsenko 5th, both finishing on the same time as Pidcock after getting up to his back wheel right on the line.
How Ben Healy did it
Today Healy first broke clear in a large front group of 16 riders with about 90km to go. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) then pressed hard up the Cauberg to reduce the group to just 11 riders.
And when that select group - who were only 30-40 seconds clear of the remains of the peloton - hit the Eyserbosweg climb with about 36km to go, Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) and Pogačar pushed clear, with Healy the only one who had the legs to got with them.
That trio then rode clear at the front of the race, with Healy doing some turns in the group with his two big name breakaway companions.
With just under 30km to go, the three leaders hit the Keutenberg climb, with Pogacar pushing hard and dropping Healy first and then Pidcock. As the lone leader pressed on, Pidcock and Healy joined forces in pursuit of Pogacar. Meanwhile, Andreas Kron (Lotto-Dstny) and Alexey Lutsenko (Astana-Qazaqstan) chased them about 25 seconds back.
Healy then pushed clear of Pidcock on the Geulhemmerberg climb with 13km to go and that's the way it stayed to the finish.
