Ben Healy ready to strike at the Tour: with less heat the 3rd week is for him

Ben Healy waited, gritting his teeth. It's not in his nature, it's not in his racing DNA. But the wait finally seems to be over: the Irishman from EF Education-EasyPost is ready to unleash his explosive cycling prowess at the Tour de France .

Healy was one of the key figures in last year's Tour, lighting up stage after stage with a relentless series of attacks that earned him a stage victory and a legion of passionate new fans. This year, however, he has remained in the shadows almost inexplicably, considering the devastating impact he had on the race twelve months ago.

There's a very specific explanation, however, and it has nothing to do with his physical form or the less than stellar season he's had. The blame lies with the scorching heat that has enveloped the Grande Boucle since the Grand Départ in Barcelona. Temperatures, consistently above 35 degrees, have stifled one of the most dynamic and unpredictable riders in the peloton.

"The heat is my Achilles heel," Healy confessed to Cyclingnews. "When I have big drops in performance, it's always the heat. I do everything I can, but some of us just aren't built to handle it."

The problem, the Irishman explains, is both physiological and tactical: "You can't recover. Every effort costs you double. I've ridden enough in the scorching sun to know when I'm at my limit. I can't attack like I usually do, because if I keep accelerating without recovering quickly enough, I'll struggle. And that's exactly what my style is: attack, recover, attack again."

Dubbed "the best breakaway rider in the world" by his sports director Jonathan Vaughters, Healy managed to join only one breakaway in this Tour, on stage 10 through the Massif Central, along with 29 other riders. But his role was marginal: his teammate Richard Carapaz then attempted to attack for the win, but his initiative was neutralized by Tadej Pogačar and UAE Team Emirates-XRG, once again turning a potential breakaway stage into a duel between the top riders in the general classification.

Paradoxically, however, Healy sees a hidden advantage in all this. "When I look at the stages and the winners, I don't think I missed too many real opportunities," he says. "I didn't burn through the pack unnecessarily, and I saved myself a lot. Going into the rest day so fresh is something I've never experienced in a Grand Tour. I didn't do too much damage to my body, and I hope that pays off in the second half of the race."

And here's the turning point all fantasy cycling fans have been waiting for: temperatures are finally set to drop , coinciding with a route that's perfect for Healy's abilities. The schedule includes two medium-mountain stages in the Vosges mountains and then a climb to the Plateau de Solaison in the Alps. The moment to strike is approaching.

"I'm really looking forward to this weekend. The temperatures are dropping, and as soon as it cools down, I feel like my body is ready," he said. "I really feel like I'm ready to race."