Exploring the Opportunities at the 2023 Giro d'Italia with Ben Healy
Key Highlights :
The 2023 Giro d'Italia is set to be an exciting race, with Irish National Time Trial Champion Ben Healy making his Grand Tour debut. Healy, who has had recent success in the Ardennes Classics, is looking to combine helping his EF Education-EasyPost GC leaders Hugh Carthy and Rigoberto Urán with a crack at a stage or two himself.
After coming 15th in the opening time trial, Healy told Cyclingnews at the stage 2 start that he was not overly satisfied with his result but hopes for better luck further down the line. He noted that the course was pan flat for the first part, and being 60 kilos, he's sure that doesn't help. Still, as the surprise success story of the Ardennes Classics, with second places in Amstel Gold Race and Brabantse Pijl as well as fourth in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Healy clearly has no fear of performing above expectations.
The Giro d'Italia is Healy's main priority for the first half of the season and the Ardennes had been "more last-minute for me." He said that when he saw he was going well, he thought there was no harm in carrying on with the Ardennes program. His main goals in the Giro are to support Urán and Carthy "first and foremost, but there will be some opportunities for us stage hunters."
Healy and his EF teammates came through the bad crash at the end of stage 2 unscathed, the team said on Twitter, although he, Carthy and Urán all were caught behind the pile-up and lost 19 seconds on GC. After the time trial, Healy's next aim is simply to get more of a feeling for the event, and then he'll begin to see what he can target next.
Healy is determined to take the opportunities when and where they come, but first he wants to see how the race is raced. Healy's determination and ambition will surely take him far in the Giro d'Italia, and with his past success in the Ardennes Classics, it's exciting to see what he can achieve. With the right support, Healy could become a real contender in the race.
