'He's a credit to the region' - Ben Healy's first cycling coach tells of Tour de France pride
Ben Healy's first ever coach at Halesowen Athletics and Cycling Club has described the Tour de France star as "an international superstar".
The 24-year-old from Wordsley, who qualifies for Ireland through his paternal grandparents, shocked the world when he won the sixth stage of the 2025 tour before claiming the iconic yellow jersey on the tenth stage and retaining it during a 'stressful' eleventh stage.
After starting his cycling journey aged seven at Halesowen Athletics and Cycling Club, Healy joined Solihull Cycling after his 11th birthday in a bid to kick on with his dreams of going professional - a feat he achieved in 2021 at Trinity Racing.
Despite his rapid rise Healy remained a familiar face around Halesowen, regularly returning to compete in club races and catch up with friends and former clubmates.
One of the most influential people in his career is David Feiven, coach at Halesowen Cycling and Ben's first mentor at the club, and he told the Express & Star he could not be prouder of the success his former student has achieved.
"Ben started when he was quite young and was always very good," he said. "It's easy to be wise in hindsight but actually he always had something about him.
