From velodrome fun to Tour De France race leader

In 2011, a 12-year-old boy was looping around an outdoor velodrome in the Midlands, and now he will wear the yellow jersey that distinguishes him as race leader of The Tour De France.

Stourbridge-born Ben Healy was a regular at the Halesowen track with his dad, Bryan.

"Back then it was never about becoming a professional, it was the simple enjoyment of riding bikes, track, road and mountain," said the beaming father.

From there he moved to Solihull Cycling Club to race on roads, and that is when his journey to being the first rider to represent Ireland - due to his connection to his late grandmother - and claim the yellow jersey for 38 years began.

Bryan said his son has developed a more soulful connection to his grandmother's home nation.

"I wish my mum was still here to see it because she'd have been so proud, it's really opened up his sense of his Irishness," he said.

In 2022, Healy signed with US-based cycling team EF Education Easy Post, which secured him a place in the World Tour peloton.

The now the 24-year old has been carving out a specialist niche as a breakaway artist ever since.

Not possessed with the power of a sprinter or the aerobic capacity of a climber, at 5ft 7in (170cm), he discovered that if he was strategic about his choice of races and stages it could net him stage wins in the sports three biggest Grand Tours.

In the 2023, at Giro d'Italia he came from 60km (37 miles) out and on Thursday, in his Tour De France debut he surprised all his rivals with 43km (27 miles) to go.

It was not because of when he attacked but where as Healy used a slightly downhill fast approach, unlike the mid-climb attacks he had previously used as a launch pad.

Bryan recalled how 10 days previously in Boulogne, his son had earmarked the Bastille Day stage for an attack, but as with most things in the fast moving tour, events and plans change.

He said: "Everyone knows how Ben rides, he targeted several stages, of which Monday's was one, but after winning last Thursday's stage I didn't think it was likely he'd get away or be allowed to breakaway."

Discussing his son's success from a local pub in Wordsley, just outside Stourbridge, Bryan said: "He was still a bit numb, but beaming."

Bryan has now started his journey to Toulouse to see his son on the evening of the rest day to savour his success, before a string of days in the Pyrenees followed by the Mount Ventoux stage next Tuesday.

Asked if the 'golden fleece' would rest heavy on his young son's shoulders, Bryan said: "He'll get through tomorrow, hopefully, he'll try his best and the Hautacam on Thursday will be tricky.

"But, how many times has he surprised everyone just in this last week?" he added.

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