Ben Healy, a seasoned World Tour rider, kicked off his fifth season with a modest yet promising start in France. Despite not making a splash in the finals of the Faun-Ardèche Classic and Faun Drome Classic, Healy remained content with his performance, attributing his 20th and 44th place finishes to his usual struggle with the initial races of the season. With 3,400m of elevation gain, the Faun-Ardèche Classic was won by Paul Seixas, a rising French star, who claimed his second victory of the season. Healy, accompanied by his compatriot and teammate Darren Rafferty, finished well ahead of a three-man chasing group led by Jan Christen, Lenny Martinez, and Matteo Jorgenson. While Healy was 20th at 5:14, Rafferty, in his third season with EF Education-EasyPost, was a non-finisher. The pair then took on the 185km Faun Drome Classic, where Healy, despite not featuring in the final climb, finished 44th, just 1:07 behind the race winner, Romain Grégoire. Looking ahead, Healy is set to ride Strade Bianche next Saturday, aiming to gauge his form in the early weeks of the new road racing campaign. Rafferty, on the other hand, will be in action at the Trofeo Laigueglia in Italy on Wednesday.
