Britain’s Simon Yates won stage 10 of the Tour de France on Bastille Day as Ben Healy became the first Irish rider to claim the yellow jersey for 38 years.
Yates, who triumphed in his second Grand Tour at the Giro d’Italia in June, timed his attack superbly on the final ascent of the 165.3km stage from Ennezat – Le Mont-Dore Puy de Sancy after being part of a long-range breakaway.
That group of 28 riders was whittled down significantly on a punishing day through the Massif Central that contained eight categorised climbs, with the Visma-Lease a Bike rider pulling clear of Thymen Arensman, Healy, Ben O’Connor, Michael Storer and fellow Briton Joe Blackmore in the closing stages.
“It was a really hard start to be there with a lot of strong guys and that’s why I took that advantage just before the final climb because I was looking for a head start,” Yates said.
“It’s been a long time. I was not really expecting any opportunities here. We came here fully focused on Jonas and the GC.
“The stage played out in a way that I could be there and I took it with both hands. It’s not easy. I have been getting better every day since I have been here. I have been growing into the race.”
Ineos Grenadiers’ Dutch climber Arensman finished second, with Healy, who was born in the West Midlands, coming home in third and jumping to the top of the general classification, 29 seconds ahead of defending champion Tadej Pogacar.
Belgian Remco Evenepoel sits third, one minute further back, after losing six seconds in the closing kilometres when Pogacar accelerated and only Jonas Vingegaard was able to hold his wheel from a group containing several GC favourites.
The Dane is fourth in the overall standings, one minute and 46 seconds adrift of Healy, who will become the first Irishman to wear the maillot jaune since Stephen Roche won the race in 1987.
“It was insanely tough. It was a battle against myself and I had to dig in deep and my team-mates put in so much work for me that I really wanted to pay them back,” Healy said.
“How often do you get an opportunity to put yourself into yellow? I had to take that with two hands and go for it.”
There will be a rest day on Tuesday before racing resumes on Wednesday with a 156.8km route around Toulouse that is expected to end in a bunch sprint.
The first big day in the Pyrenees arrives on Thursday with a trip up to the ski resort at Hautacam.
