A born racer, never afraid to attack, Ben Healy's aggression has paid dividends today in Italy, where the 22-year-old Irish rider claimed victory on stage 3 at Coppi a Bartali. The victory, his first road race win as a World Tour rider, came after he forced clear the winning three-man move on the hilly circuit today (video below).
Healy's victory today - and time gain - moves him up into contention in the general classification, with the EF Education-EasyPost rider showing fantastic form despite only returning to racing on Tuesday after a seven-week absence due to a crash.
“It was a pretty chaotic day and not what we would have expected to be honest. There was a crash pretty early on... and from then on it was my job to mark a lot of the early moves," Healy said. "I had super good legs today. We just came to the final climb today and I could feel it in the legs.
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"I had it so I gave it a go and Mark (Padun) and Domenico (Pozzovivo) came with me. We pushed all the way to the line. I wasn't sure I had the win until the very last moment when I crossed the line. When we got away on the last climb, I knew there was a good chance I could take the win.
"This win feels really good. Things are going well. We took the win yesterday with Quinn and I think all my hours on the turbo have paid off."
Healy came to the finish line today, on the Servadei velodrome in Forlì, with his team mate Padun and wily veteran Pozzovivo (Israel-Premier Tech). However, having looked the strongest of the trio on the run in to the finish, Healy hit the front of the group with over a lap of the outdoor velodrome to cover and went for broke.
Finale nel velodromo Servadei di Forlì. Spettacolo ? pic.twitter.com/kG2QZsRN3o
— Leonardo (@Leonardo44447) March 23, 2023
Padun could not live with his pace and was distanced immediately as Healy hit the gas hard. And while Pozzovivo was able to stay in Healy's wheel, and tried to pass him on the inside just before the line, the Irish rider was simply too strong and claimed the win.
The next group, numbering just 14 riders, was 25 seconds down and was led in by Felix Engelhardt (Bora-hansgrohe) from race leader Mauro Schmid (Soudal-Quick Step). That time gain, and the10-second time bonus took for victory today, has lifted Healy 12 places in the general classification. He now sits 7th overall, just 38 seconds off the race leader.
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Healy's win today - after a 139.7km stage starting and finishing in Forlì - came just 24 hours after his American team mate Sean Quinn won stage 2, also his first win as a professional in Europe.
The stage today consisted of four laps of a large circuit that included the 4.6km climb of Monte Cavallo. While a nine-man group was away for much of the stage, the last of those riders was caught with 25km to go as the main field had already been shredded on the undulating circuit. Healy took the initiative with some 16km to go on a small 500m climb.
That ascent, though very short, proved hard enough to make the difference. And once the Irishman got clear with team mate Padun, and Pozzovivo, they managed to hold off the remains of the bunch, which was down to a select group, to fight it out for victory.
The race continues tomorrow with a168.6km stage starting and finishing in Fiorano Modenese over lumpy terrain before the concluding 18.6km TT in Carpi on Saturday. Both of those stages should suit Healy, who may yet challenge for a place on the final podium or even overall victory.
EF Education-EasyPost has four riders in the top 10 overall, giving it a number of cards to play. James Shaw is 3rd at just 12 seconds with Padun 5th at 36 seconds. Healy is place 7th overall at 38 seconds and Quinn is 8th at 57 seconds.
Healy's first victory as a World Tour rider came in the TT at the National Road Championships in Kanturk last season. He showed great form right from the start of this season, taking 3rd in Trofeo Calvia (1.1). However, he then crashed on stage 3 at Etoile de Bessèges at the start of last month. He broke a finger in that crash and only returned to racing on stage 1 of Coppi e Bartali on Tuesday.
