Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) is in the running for the super combativity award at the Tour de France, having been nominated with seven others. The prestigious prize – which was won by Dan Martin in 2018 – comes with a €20,000 prize and a trip to the podium in Paris.
On this year’s edition of the Tour, Healy won stage 6 and took the yellow jersey on stage 10, becoming the first Irishman to lead the world’s biggest race since Stephen Roche in 1987. Healy was in long breakaways on stages 6, 10 and 16, finishing 1st, 3rd and 2nd; that runner-up spot coming on Mont Ventoux.
The Tour de France puts the super combative award to a public vote on social media, though a race jury will also decide who wins. Healy claimed the combativity award on three of the stages this year.
And having taken a stage win, the yellow jersey for two days and a top 10 in the final general classification, he has a great chance of winning.
If he takes the prize, he will be only the fourth Irish rider to feature in the final podium presentations of the Tour, after Stephen Roche won the race in 1987, Sean Kelly claimed the points classification in 1982, 1983, 1985 and 1989 and Martin’s super combative award in 2018.
The full list of those nominated is as follows:
- Ben Healy EF Education-EasyPost
- Jonas Abrahamsen Uno X Mobility
- Quinn Simmons Lidl Trek
- Jordan Jégat Total Energies
- Thymen Arensman Ineos Grenadiers
- Bruno Armirail Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
- Tim Wellens UAE Team Emirates XRG
- Michael Storer Tudor Pro Cycling
Four of the eight riders have won stages on this year’s Tour; Arensman on Superbagnères and La Plagne, Abrahamsen into Toulouse, Healy into Vire Normandie, and Wellens in Carcassonne.
Arensman is perhaps Healy’s biggest rival for the prize, which also comes with a trophy, though the manner of Healy’s riding was more impressive through the race.
Yesterday’s stage 20 of the Tour into Pontarlier was won by Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck), who went up the road in the 13-man breakaway for 130km of the 184km stage.
Though Australian Groves is one of the best bunch sprinters in pro cycling, he attacked solo with 17km remaining and won the stage by 54 seconds from the nearest breakaway survivors.
