Ben Healy is cautiously optimistic about a quiet start to his fifth World Tour season, launching his campaign with two competitive outings in France alongside fellow Irish rider and EF Education-EasyPost teammate Darren Rafferty.
Healy said his performance matched his expectations, even though he wasn’t in the mix for the finales of either race. He’s used to a slower start and noted that he typically battles to find his rhythm in the first race of the season. Reflecting on Faun-Ardèche Classic (1.Pro) on Saturday, where he finished 20th, he described his performance as “kinda happy” and acknowledged feeling positive as he targets broader goals.
The race featured about 3,400 meters of elevation gain and ended with victory for Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM Team), the young French sprinter who is rapidly rising in the sport. Seixas soloed to a 1 minute 48 second win, outpacing a three-man chase group led by Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates XRG), with Lenny Martinez (Bahrain-Victorious) and Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike) close behind.
Healy finished 20th, 5:14 back, while Rafferty—now in his third EF Education-EasyPost season—worked for Healy and then exited the race after completing his team duties. Jamie Meehan (Cofidis), in his first full professional season, placed 61st, 9:54 behind the winner.
The Irish trio were back on Sunday for the 185 km Faun Drôme Classic (1.Pro). Healy again finished outside the top 40, securing 44th place at 1:07 behind the victor, Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ United). Grégoire’s late surge on a decisive 1 km climb saw him cap a two-up move with Matteo Jorgenson, extending their gap to the chasing pack just as the finish approached.
In the decisive moment, Grégoire launched the final kick to claim victory, with Martinez taking third, two seconds off the top two. From an Irish viewpoint, Meehan ended 63rd (+6:07), while Rafferty was 119th (+13:32), giving all three riders a demanding two-day race block to kick off the season.
As Healy hinted, it often takes him a few races to wake fully into race mode. He ended last year’s early outings 103rd and 30th at these events, then found form the following weekend at Strade Bianche (1.UWT) to finish a remarkable fourth, launching a standout 2025 run.
Looking ahead, Healy will return to Strade Bianche next Saturday to gauge his early-season form more clearly. Rafferty, meanwhile, is set to race Trofeo Laigueglia (1.Pro) in Italy this coming Wednesday.
