Ben Healy takes first 'monument' podium at Liège-Bastogne-Liège | Video

Ben Healy on the podium at the end of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, bringing a brilliant spring classics campaign to a close with his first ever podium finish at a monument (Photo: Billy Ceusters)

Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) has completed a superb spring classics campaign by taking his first career podium finish at one of cycling's 'monuments', Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

The Irish rider, like all of the other top favourites, was racing for 2nd place after Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) put in a searing seated effort up the iconic climb of Côte de La Redoute to go solo with 35km to go.

However, though the Slovenian was once again untouchable in La Doyenne - winning for the third time - Irish rider Healy was definitely next the strongest. Healy initially pulled clear with Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) in pursuit of Pogačar, though Pidcock eventually could not handle the pace.

And while both Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) and Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) joined Healy in the chase, Alaphilippe was also dropped, with Healy going to the line with Italian Ciccone to decide 2nd and 3rd.

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Ciccone won that scrap, taking 2nd with Healy 3rd - that duo finishing some 1:03 down on the winner. They were just seven seconds up on a large chasing group that did their best, but failed, to catch the Irish-Italian duo, who fought so hard for their deserved podium places.

Archie Ryan (EF Education-EasyPost) was prominent at the front of the much reduced bunch up until the all-important run-in to La Redoute. He appeared to lose his team mates at that point and paid for that as he lost positions.

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Still, the young Irishman had, by that point, made a really important contribution to Healy's podium result before finishing the 252km race in 61st at 3:19.

More to come.

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