BEN Healy has added his name to a very exclusive list of Irish cyclists to have worn the Tour de France’s yellow jersey.
The last time that occurred was in 1987 when the legendary Stephen Roche went on to win that year’s edition of the world’s most famous cycling race.
He is only the fourth Irish man to wear the iconic ‘malliot jaune’ as overall leader[/caption]
He represented Team Ireland at the Paris Olympics[/caption]
While holidaying in New York with girlfriend Martha[/caption]
They had a cute pet dog named Olive[/caption]
Here, SunSport provides a bit of background on the 24-year-old’s rise to prominence:
WHERE IS BEN HEALY FROM?
He was actually born and raised in England with his early years spent in Dudley in the West Midlands region.
He has Irish heritage via his dad’s side of the family who traced back to Cork.
Upon making inroads early on in his cycling career he opted to represent Ireland as opposed to England.
In one chat with Cycling News, he laid out his family’s Irish roots as well as how his initial decision to compete as an Irish rider was partly down to help him fulfil his dream of becoming a professional.
He stated: “It’s all from my dad’s side. He wasn’t born there but his grandparents and brothers and sisters were from Cork, and they moved over from Ireland in the 1970s for work-related reasons.
“I felt it was a nice move for me and, if I’m completely honest, at first it was for the opportunities, but the family connection was there, and I do really feel like a part of Ireland now.
“That side of the family is proud of what I’ve done, too – they all are obviously. I go back now and then, but not that often with racing.”
Ben’s father Bryan was a cyclist himself in his youth so the sport was very much in the blood for him.
He added: “It was through my dad. He just took me down to the local outdoor track one day in Halesowen.
“He never really forced it on me but he took me along to some of the Sunday sessions and it just went from there. I enjoyed it and always wanted to keep going back.
“I was probably five years old and carried on with that by trying to qualify for national omniums but I was never very good at it.
“I quickly moved on from the track and actually got into mountain biking through my dad again.
“I started racing XC and then always used road alongside that. It wasn’t until I was a junior that I started to really focus on the road and leave mountain biking behind.”
GIRLFRIEND AND PET DOG
Healy is in a long-term relationship with his artist girlfriend Martha.
They have an adorable pet dog together. In an interview with Escape Collective, he shared that her breed and name.
He outlined: “At the moment, me and my girlfriend just recently got a puppy. I really love just walking and spending some time with my girlfriend and the dog.
“Great downtime for me. It’s a miniature dachshund called Olive. She’s a girl. Super, super crazy dog, but we really love her and it’s awesome.”
