Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) today finally got into a breakaway that made it all the way at the Tour de France. Unfortunately, the Irish rider played his cards early and when they didn't go his way, he lost his best chance of the race.
Not only was Healy not at the front in the final to fight for victory on the day, but he also lost out on the time the breakaway gained, and which would have moved him up a couple of places overall and back into the top 15.
While a general classification result is not Healy's aim on this race - as he and his team are strictly hunting for stage wins - any move up the overall standings, in his debut Tour, would have been welcome. But is the loss of the stage win opportunity that stung the most.
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Given the size of the breakaway today, numbering 36 riders, the prospect of getting clear of it was always going to be very complicated, though Healy had team mates Richard Carapaz and Sean Quinn for company.
On the 179.5km stage from Gap to Barcelonnette, the breakaway went clear over the top of the Col du Festre, a cat 3 crested after 32km. With four more cat 3 climbs to come as well as a final 40km that was almost continuously uphill, a tough day was in store.
Healy went for broke on the penultimate climb of Côte de Saint-Apollinaire, attacking hard twice between 60-65km to go. And while his first effort in particular - which opened the attacking from the breakaway - was a haymaker, the small number of riders the Irishman pulled clear were not as committed as he was and they were caught.
After those two efforts came to nothing, Healy's team mates - and many others in the large group - also lit it up. And that resulted in Healy, and many of those who had tried to match his early attacks, went out the back of the breakaway.
Though the escape group gained 13:40 on the remains of the peloton, Healy was caught by that bunch and went out the back of it to the tune of three minutes, finishing in 110th, some 16:29 down on stage winner Victor Campenaerts (Lotto Dstny).
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The Belgian was among a three-man group - alongside Mattéo Vercher (TotalEnergies) and Michał Kwiatkowski (Ineos Grenadiers) - that finally forged clear of the rest of the breakaway in the constant attacking in the final.
They finished 22 seconds up on the next five riders, with Campenaerts winning the sprint for the stage victory from Vercher and Kwiatkowski. With all the main general classification men in the remains of the peloton, there was no change in the top 10 overall.
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) continues to lead the race, by 3:11 from defending champion Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike). Remco Evenepoel (Soudal QuickStep) is 3rd, at 5:09.
If Pogačar, who has been absolutely dominant so far, is to be challenged for victory, that challenge must begin to take shape tomorrow on summit finish to Isola 2000.
?Commotion and Emotion. A day fit for a breakaway win, and the result did not disappoint! In the end, it was a magnificent Victor(y) in Barcelonnette.
⏪ Tomorrow, sees the return of high mountains. But for now; the summary of this beautiful 18th stage of the #TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/UOePzmXLEg
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 18, 2024
