Irish cyclist takes Tour de France yellow jersey for the first time in 38 years

Irish cyclist Ben Healy has become the first Irishman since 1987 to win the prestigious maillot jaune (yellow jersey) at the Tour de France yesterday with a hat-trick leading time in the mountainous stage 10.

In the Tour de France, the yellow jersey is awarded to the rider with the lowest overall time in each daily stage, with time subtracted for winning individual stages or being first to the top of a climb and time added for rule infractions.

It was only the second Tour de France entry for 24-year-old Healy, who races for U.S.-based team EF Education–EasyPost. He took his first-ever stage win last Thursday in stage 6, though Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel took the yellow jersey. Healy proudly wore the tricolour on each sleeve as he fought to win both the time leader's yellow jersey and the best young rider's white jersey in stage 10.

"It's a fairytale," Healy said in his post-race interview.

"If you told me this before the Tour, I think I wouldn't have believed you. A stage win and now the yellow jersey is just incredible beyond belief."

Healy is the fourth-ever Irish cyclist to wear the yellow jersey, 38 years since Stephen Roche wore it for three days during his 1987 Tour win. Before Roche, Sean Kelly wore the jersey in 1983 and Shay Elliott in 1963.

"It's some pretty crazy footsteps to follow, isn't it?" Healy said.

"I'm just super proud to represent Ireland and wear the yellow jersey for them, and hopefully, I can do it some justice."

The previous yellow jersey holder was Slovenian Tadej Pogačar, who won the Tour de France three times, including last year.

After a tense four minutes of waiting post-finish to see if he beat Pogačar's time, Healy celebrated a lead of 29 seconds in the general classification over Pogačar. Healy's time kicked Pogačar down to second in the rankings and confirmed the yellow jersey for Healy.

Charlie McConalogue TD, Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, congratulated Healy in a post on X.

"A great day for Irish cycling," McConalogue wrote in the post.

Ben Healy in the yellow jersey in the Tour de France! Just the 4th Irishman to achieve it, hot on the heels of winning stage 6 a few days ago he spearheaded a breakaway in today's stage and is now in yellow on Bastille Day. A great day for Irish cycling. pic.twitter.com/pANEGWPKVM

— Charlie McConalogue (@McConalogue) July 14, 2025

PJ Nolan, former president of Cycling Ireland, described Healy's impressive Irish National Championship win in 2020 on RTÉ's Morning Ireland this morning.

"He has been spectacular since he came on the scene," Nolan said.

"Back in 2020 was the first time I saw him...These are really, really good bike riders, and Ben Healy destroyed them. He won by three minutes. People were scratching their heads and thinking, 'That's impossible. This tiny little guy.'...He is almost freakish because he doesn't slow down. Other people get tired, but this young man is just unbelievable."

Former Olympic cyclist Martyn Irvine also praised Healy on Morning Ireland today.

"I'm not surprised at all," Irvine said of Healy's Tour success.

"If you have been following at all he has been trending upwards. He's a world beater on the one-day races...He's so laid-back he's horizontal. He's really chilled out. He's so methodical. He knows exactly what he can do and just goes and does it."

Irvine said he wouldn't be surprised if Healy made it all the way to the final Tour de France podium.

"I really do think a podium is possible, top six realistically, because he has a strong team with him," Irvine said.

"If the team get around him I wouldn't be surprised to see him finish on the podium."

Today is a rest day for the riders, and the Tour de France will resume with stage 11 tomorrow.