2023 was an absolute treat for us cycling fans, and we owe a lot of that drama and intrigue to Ben Healy of the U.S. based team EF-Education Easypost. A relatively unknown name before 2023, although maybe he shouldn’t have been. After becoming the youngest stage winner in Tour de l’Avenir history in 2019 which is what finally earned him the interest of the World Tour Teams.

Ben Healy’s IG

His road career began after the British Cycling Olympic Development Academy kicked him out when he had become a junior. With no communication to the young rider, as to how he could improve or why he was no longer a part of the organization. That was one of apparently many areas in the relationship between Ben and GB that he led him to decide to switch his allegiance to Ireland as a teenager. A heritage Ben holds on his father’s side of the family. Although not born nor grew up in Ireland he holds a ton of pride for his Irish heritage. Something I can understand and relate to. That is also the moment that his transition to road racing began.

Let’s fast forward to 2023… 2nd in Amstel Gold, 1st and 2nd stage results in the Giro, 4th in Liege-Bastogne-Liege, and 3rd in GC at Tour of Luxembourg. All of those accomplishments while also earning a cult following for his 3rd in KOM jerseys at the 2023 Giro. Between Derek Gee and Ben Healy, there was no absence of dramatic climbs and stage finishes. The 2023 Giro will be remembered for the final stage… and deservedly so… but I’ll never forget Ben Healy’s performance.

But it’s also that mentality of “All or nothing” riding that had hurt him as a junior in the eyes of team coaches and DS around the world tour teams. A lot of people, who know a lot about cycling, questioned Ben’s decision-making abilities… The same rider who knew at 18 he was too young to join the World Tour, and decided to spend another 3 years in the U23 ranks to develop as a better rider… it was that rider’s decision-making skills they had questioned.

Humble Healy attributes a lot of his 2023 success to the change in race preparation that the EF-Education Easypost team had taken in 2023 compared to 2022, but anybody can see that he is just a special rider. A term used often when describing Ben on Instagram with his videos and photos of his laid-back personality and his love for surfing. He is The Dude’s Dude, if I may evoke my inner Lebowski. Which is something that cycling culture is just missing altogether. When describing what it was like to line up at the starting line of the Giro, “It was surreal, being with Pidcock and Pogačar, a couple of the best riders in the world, really. For sure it was a bit of a pinch-me moment,” the Irishman told VeloNews.

Ben is 23 years old and is still developing as a rider. While already the 25th top rider(2023) in the world tour bringing in 1,034 UCI points for his team that was struggling against relegation a year prior. The two-time National Champion is just beginning to show what he can accomplish and who he really is. His 2024 campaign is starting off where his 2023 season left off with two 4th place GC finishes in Algavre and Etoile de Bessèges right behind his teammate Alberto Bettiol.

His 2024 Spring Classics campaign is STACKED! You can see him next in Amstel Gold (4/14), La Flèche Wallonne (4/17), and Liege-Bastogne-Liege (4/21). Remember… Amstel and LBL were two races he had placed 2nd and 4th in respectively in 2023. Do. Not. Miss. Those. Races.

Ben has proved himself to be a strong Ardennes rider, Grand Tour stage winner, and Slayer of Mountains. And it sounds like EF is putting a program together that Ben can and is really excelling in. I’m really excited for the future and I’m not just talking about the Spring Classics, I’m talking about the next decade plus.