Ben Healy was one of the highlights of the 2023 Giro d’Italia during his first Grand Tour in his career. The Irish cyclist won a stage and wore the King of the Mountains jersey for several days. But could there be greater ambitions for 2024?
“There are a lot of flat time trials in next year’s Giro. I have no problem with that, but obviously if we consider competing with Carapaz in the Giro, 68 km of time trials is a bit complicated,” says EF Education-EasyPost team boss Jonathan Vaughters in a conversation with the British channel GCN. “We would have to see the details of the first time trial to understand the difficult and technical parts.”
Opportunity for Ben Healy
“From my perspective, it wasn’t what we expected if we considered sending Richard to the Giro. This wasn’t the route I was expecting,” Vaughters continues. “Now we’ll wait for the Tour de France route. Until that is released, it’s impossible to say which line-ups will go where. In a 68 km time trial, you will lose four to five minutes, and while you can still finish in the top ten, you can forget about the victory. Maybe this is an opportunity for Ben Healy to try to compete for the General Classification.”
Thomas de Gendt as an example
“With the time trials, some quite technical stages, and a year of experience, perhaps Healy could have a chance in the General Classification? You never want to stifle the spirit of a rider who enjoys attacking, forcing them to focus on the overall classification. But it’s worth considering. Remember, Thomas De Gendt once finished third overall in the Giro,” concludes the EF Education-EasyPost team boss.
It’s worth noting that Ben Healy also has strong time trial skills. The Irishman won the national championship in that discipline in 2022, and in 2023, he finished second in the event.
