Jonathan Vaughters<\/a> explained to Velo how the squad approached things back in 2022.<\/p>\n\u201cOne of the oddest things we did with Ben in his first year as a pro was we said, \u2018listen, Ben, we don\u2019t know what kind of rider you are yet. So train hard up until the start of the season, but then once the season starts, we want you to just go out and ride your bike for three or four hours a day.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t push on the pedals too hard any one given day, because your schedule is not really made up yet.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The reason for that? Keeping him fresh, perhaps a little bit underdone, so that he could be ready to compete at short notice and in a broad range of events.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018We\u2019re going to send you to all kinds of different races,\u2019\u201d Vaughters continued, explaining how the conversation went. \u201cWe might call you up two days before days before a race and say, \u2018hey buddy, you\u2019re gonna go to this one, and sorry for the last minute notice.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018We want you fresh, and we want you to be able to do all kinds of different races and get the most out of those races, because you\u2019re going into it with a fresh mind and fresh legs. And then in year two, let\u2019s talk about being more specific about how to do things, once we sort of figure you out a little bit.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
All those factors came together in a very encouraging way in 2023.<\/p>\n
Healy took his first international win as a pro in the GP Industrial & Artigianato. He was second in both the Amstel Gold Race and Brabantse Pijl and fourth in Li\u00e8ge-Bastogne-Li\u00e8ge, then won stage 8 of the Giro d\u2019Italia, his first-ever grand tour.<\/p>\n
It represented a jump in his level, and showed he was on track for a successful career.<\/p>\n
No elephant testicles on the menu
\n![\"Healy's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Z8B_6871-2.jpg\"\/)
Winning a stage at this year\u2019s Tour de France was the result of years of hard work\u00a0(Photo: Gruber Images)<\/p>\n
Vaughters\u2019 squad has been in existence since 2004, beginning with the small Team TIAA-CREF.<\/p>\n
A very considerable number of riders have been employed by the squad in the 21 years since.<\/p>\n
In one particular way Healy stands out from the vast majority of those.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said this to Ben\u2019s mom and dad when they came to the Tour one day,\u201d Vaughters said. \u201cBen is one of the very few young riders that we\u2019ve had in recent years that has actually listened to us as management. Most of the time these days with these young hotshot kids, they want to do it the way they saw it on Instagram or on TikTok. They want to do it the way they saw Tadej Poga\u010dar do it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re like, \u2018well, I read that Dr Peter Attia said that you have to eat elephant testicles in order to win.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Vaughters may or may not have been serious about that particular example, but the point is clear. He said the team always has to push back a little on such things.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re like, \u2018well, okay, maybe, but maybe we should try it out a little bit more of a basic route first, and then get into\u2026\u2019 Again, going back to the eat your meat and potatoes before you get your dessert argument.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Ben, we made that argument, and he said, \u2018yeah, okay, that makes sense.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Being open to that very approach in year one was an example of Healy seeing the bigger picture. Being asked to undertrain slightly and to go to races at a drop of a hat could be hard for an ambitious young rider, but he did it anyway.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the most part, most young, 19, 20 year old pros would hate that advice with a passion,\u201d Vaughters said. \u201cBut Ben basically said, \u2018yeah, okay, sounds good.\u2019 And he did it.\u201d<\/p>\n
That plus his work in the years since has all added up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think his progression in the sport of cycling has been way beyond what anyone would have thought when he was a U23 rider,\u201d said Vaughters.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd partially it\u2019s because he let the sport come to him a little bit, as opposed to forcing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
A drop in momentum
\n![\"Irish](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-1251886876.jpg\"\/)
Healy had a superb season in 2023, including taking second to Poga\u010dar in the Amstel Gold Race, but 2024 was frustrating (Photo: JASPER JACOBS\/BELGA MAG\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
It hasn\u2019t been all plain sailing. Healy\u2019s Tour performances and worlds medal mark him out as one of the best riders in the peloton, but his path to this point hasn\u2019t been linear.<\/p>\n
2023 was a great season but 2024 didn\u2019t quite click.<\/p>\n
He worked hard, trying to build on the previous year, but he describes the season as a case of close but no cigar.<\/p>\n
Things began well with strong GC rides in the Etoile de Bess\u00e8ges and the Volta ao Algarve, but the Ardennes Classics were far quieter than one year earlier.<\/p>\n
Weighing 2024 up earlier this year, Healy told Velo that he overdid things after Tirreno-Adriatico, being fatigued after a heavy block of racing and then going to altitude rather than having some rest.<\/p>\n
He was in much better form in the Tour de France, going in long-range breaks on five different occasions, but being hauled back by a UAE Emirates-XRG squad intent on helping Tadej Poga\u010dar take multiple stages.<\/p>\n
Another huge break at the Olympic Games might have resulted in a medal, but the timing of his recapture left him exposed. He finished tenth.<\/p>\n
Those near-misses were frustrating but they sharpened the resolve of Healy and his coach Tipper in the buildup to 2025. They vowed that things would be different, and worked hard to ensure that was the case.<\/p>\n
Two important changes
\n![\"Ben](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Ben-Healy-and-Jacob-Tipper.jpg\"\/)
Ben Healy follows the wheel of coach Jacob Tipper in a race in 2019<\/p>\n
For those who have watched Healy racing, there were two big things to tweak. The first was the timing of his attacks, something necessitated by his rivals becoming better at anticipating his moves. The second was the actual force of those surges.<\/p>\n
Healy was often one of the strongest riders in a move but as his reputation grew, he found it harder and harder to shake off attentive rivals.<\/p>\n
Tipper explains what they did to counteract that.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe spent time doing video analysis of race footage,\u201d he said, referring to pre-season sessions, as well as others prior to the Ardennes races and the Tour. \u201cWe went through the tactical side of things.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s something that cycling probably doesn\u2019t do the best of jobs of compared to, say, footballers every Monday. They are doing that match video feedback, \u2018were you in the right place at the right time kind of thing?\u2019 whereas cycling doesn\u2019t traditionally do too much of that.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we took that as an opportunity of, let\u2019s go and go through the race footage. I pointed out the things he was doing that were good, things that he was doing that weren\u2019t good.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s done a little bit of work with the sports psychologist as well, in terms of, what is the mental state that\u2019s going on at that point. Why was he becoming a bull to a red cloth and just going wild at times?\u201d<\/p>\n
That was the first tweak. The second was to his physiology.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a little bit of nuance to his training in respects to maybe being that bit punchier at times when he needs to be,\u201d Tipper said. \u201cBut obviously not too much so, because it\u2019s difficult to do that and also expect to try and keep up on the Hautacam. What God gives you on one hand he takes away with another.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo while he\u2019s done a little bit of punchy stuff, it was more from a technical perspective, making sure he gets it all out on the bike, rather than a case let\u2019s hit the gym hard and try and get bulky. Because obviously that then takes away from what you need in the mountains.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, swings and roundabouts in that respect.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe did what we could without taking anything away as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Taking on Tadej in the sport\u2019s biggest one day races
\n![\"KIGALI,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-2237878585.jpg\"\/)
Healy put in a huge ride to take bronze in the 2025 road worlds (Photo: David Ramos\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Grabbing a stage, wearing yellow and finishing ninth overall in the Tour are all very motivating for Healy as he recharges during the off season. So too his bronze medal at the world championships, the best Irish result since Sean Kelly placed third in the 1989 worlds.<\/p>\n
2026 will be about stepping up another notch. Healy is on an upwards trajectory and could well be on the verge of even bigger results.<\/p>\n
However he and Vaughters have told Velo that he won\u2019t change his racing style in a bid to chase the GC at the Tour. He\u2019s an attacking rider, someone who loves to shake things up, and sitting back in the bunch and riding conservatively with an eye on the overall standings just isn\u2019t his thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think at this moment, the approach will always be the same for me,\u201d Healy told Velo after the Tour.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving some time to reflect now, the way that I ended up in GC at the end of this Tour is, I think, the perfect way for me. And it\u2019s the way that I find most enjoyable. I think that would only ever change if I really believed I could fight for a podium.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way that I did it this year, going for the stages and kind of hanging in there a little bit and seeing how it ends out seems like a more enjoyable way for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
What he will do is specifically target GC in shorter stage races, particularly if the course suits his characteristics. However there too he believes any strong overall result will be due to big breakaway rides rather than more calculated tactics.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s clear is that Healy is very, very ambitious. After finishing third to Poga\u010dar at Li\u00e8ge this year, he had one question for the Slovenian: \u2018When do you retire?\u2019<\/p>\n
And while he was delighted with his bronze medal in this year\u2019s worlds, he gave a post-race interview which underlined a much bigger goal.<\/p>\n
Referring to his 2:16 deficit to Poga\u010dar, he showed that the gold medal is what he really wants.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still have a couple of minutes to make up somewhere,\u201d Healy said. \u201cI am going to have to go away and work hard for that.\u201d<\/p>\n
An advantage over Poga\u010dar
\n![\"Belgian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-2237565856.jpg\"\/)
Healy tracks Remco Evenepoel during the road worlds. Both riders are 25 years of age, with Healy being 8 months younger (Photo: Anne-Christine Poujoulat \/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Healy\u2019s bid to be the best could be helped by his age.<\/p>\n
He is 25 now, two years younger than Poga\u010dar. The latter is, at 27, at a point where riders tend to reach their physiological peak.<\/p>\n
Healy, in contrast, should have more gains to be made through the ageing process, adding to his momentum.<\/p>\n
Tipper is taking nothing for granted in that regard, and said the duo will continue working hard together.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll just continue pushing the right direction and see what happens. It\u2019s a good and terrible part of endurance performance, full stop,\u201d he told Velo. \u201cYou never know, you keep pulling the levers and hoping for the right results.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re making the best educated decisions that you can by being aspirational, having these goals and aims. Ultimately, you never know that what the outcome is going to be.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Ben\u2019s the one that\u2019s happy to keep looking, to keep trying to find and fight for those gains.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs long as you have that attitude, then hopefully there\u2019ll be more to find.\u201d<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Published October 25, 2025 08:12AM 2025 has been a transformative season for Ben Healy. Prior to this year…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":226965,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,45284,101,76184,96696,96697,96698,72948,45288,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-226964","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-cycling","9":"tag-parent_category-road","10":"tag-sports","11":"tag-tag-ben-healy","12":"tag-tag-ef-education-easypost","13":"tag-tag-jacob-tipper","14":"tag-tag-jonathan-vaughters","15":"tag-tag-remco-evenepoel","16":"tag-type-article","17":"tag-uk","18":"tag-united-kingdom","19":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=226964"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226964\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/226965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=226964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=226964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=226964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Gold](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-2237881947.jpg\"\/)
Gold medalist Tadej Poga\u010dar congratulates bronze medalist Ben Healy at cycling\u2019s road world championships in Kigali, Rwanda, September 28 2025 (Photo: Dario Belingheri\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"EF](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-2223785089.jpg\"\/)
Aided by one of the most aerodynamic positions in the peloton, Ben Healy has grown into one of the sport\u2019s best breakaway riders. But it took time to hone his talent (Photo: Marco Bertorello \/ AFP)<\/p>\n