Ireland’s Ben Healy lost a chance at a Stage 10 victory Monday but gained something far more valuable when he took over the leader’s yellow jersey at the Tour de France.
Healy held the lead throughout much of an extended breakaway on Bastille Day and finished third to Simon Yates of Great Britain and Thymen Arensman of the Netherlands.
Yates, now a three-time Tour de France stage winner, seized the lead from Healy on the final climb with 3 kilometers remaining in the 165.3-kilometer trek in the mountains from Ennezat to Le Mont-Dore Puy de Sancy.
Healy still eliminated all of a nearly 4-minute deficit behind overall race leader Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia to become the first rider from Ireland to hold the yellow jersey since Stephen Roche in 1987, and just the fourth all time.
Healy also won a hilly Stage 6 on Thursday after finishing off a solo breakaway.
Pogacar finished ninth in the stage, just ahead of rival Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark, to trail Healy by 29 seconds for the overall lead. Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel of Belgium is third overall, while Vingegaard is fourth.
Pogacar and Vingegaard have combined to win the Tour de France each of the last five years.
Matteo Jorgenson of the United States is in fifth place overall, while countryman Sepp Kuss is 22nd as the race approaches the midway point.
After an off day Tuesday, the schedule will resume Wednesday for the 158.8-kilometer Stage 11 that will start and finish in Toulouse. The 21-stage spectacle will conclude July 27 in Paris.
–Field Level Media
