Ben Healy’s energy proved instrumental right this moment for his EF Schooling-EasyPost staff because the race in France lastly cut up, within the final 10km (Photograph: Anouk Flesch)
Ben Healy has jumped into the highest 10 within the ultimate common classification at Région Pays de la Loire Tour (2.1) after proving instrumental in his EF Schooling-EasyPost staff taking the ultimate stage and the general classification victory.
Healy was amongst a bunch of 9 riders to drag away from the remainder of the sector throughout a really aggressive ultimate 10km on the ending circuits round Le Mans after 175km of racing.
And after making that entrance group, which gained time after all-out assaults on the climbs on the ultimate lap, he labored to maintain the group collectively. He then gave a ultimate lead-out to his staff mate Marijn van den Berg, who swept the boards consequently.
The Dutch rider, who had additionally received stage 1, took the general victory right this moment from race chief and stage 2 winner, Ewen Costiou (Arkéa-B&B Accommodations). As van den Berg had trailed Costiou by just one second beginning out this morning, the race for the ultimate yellow jersey was additionally going to go to the road.
Van den Berg was aided by Healy to a terrific stage win right this moment, and with it the final classification title
Van den Berg was awarded 10 seconds for his stage win and gained three bonus seconds through the stage. He additionally took one other three seconds on Costiou on the end because the French rider was on the fallacious facet of a small hole within the entrance group within the ultimate dash to the road.
That each one meant Van der Berg, who was additionally aided staff by Darren Rafferty, completed the race on the prime of the standings some 15 seconds forward of runner-up Costiou.
Fredrik Dversnes (Uno-X Mobility) was third at 21 seconds and Benoît Cosnefroy (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) 4th at 24 seconds.
As we speak, the stage victory went to Van den Berg from Cosnefroy, in a good dash, with Clément Venturini (Arkéa-B&B Accommodations) in third place. Healy completed in the back of the entrance group, in ninth place and a few 5 seconds down on his stage-winning staff mate.
Nonetheless, the subsequent group residence was an additional 28 seconds again, which means Healy gained sufficient time on different well-placed common classification riders to leap to twenty locations to seventh within the ultimate common classification, at 35 seconds.
Sam Bennett (AG2R La Mondiale) was within the second group on the highway right this moment, which numbered simply 13 riders, and he positioned eighth within the ultimate GC, one place and 21 seconds down on Healy.
Whereas Healy and Rafferty had been maybe anticipated the function extra prominently within the common classification battle, the small climbs on the course over the past 4 days didn’t show sufficient to separate the sector.
The one actual splits occurred right this moment on the climbs on the ultimate lap, and when Van der Berg made the nine-man entrance group, and was already digital yellow jersey on the highway coming into the dash, Healy threw his weight behind his staff mate. These efforts led to one other stage win and total success for the staff.
As we speak, Rafferty was additionally on staff duties earlier within the stage earlier than ending forty sixth, in a bunch 5:38 down. He ended the race in forty third at 6:08.