Ben Healy wins stage six of the Tour de France

Michael Bolton

Irish cyclist Ben Healy has won stage six of the Tour de France.

Healy won his first Tour de France stage of his career on Thursday, as he became only the seventh Irish rider to win a stage.

He is the first Irish man to win a stage since Sam Bennett, who won on the Champs-Élysées in Paris in 2020.

Healy was part of an eight-rider breakaway which opened a gap with around 80km remaining at Vire Normandie.

The 24-year-old pulled clear with about 40km to go and won by two-and-a-half minutes in the end.

There was a final little brute of a climb, the Côte de Vaudry, 4km from the finish, but once over that safely, Healy’s victory was never in doubt.

Healy races for the US-based team EF Education–EasyPost

Last year, Healy competed in his first Tour de France, where he was part of the breakaway on multiple stages, finishing fifth on stage nine and winning the combativity award on stage 14 – ending up 27th overall.