Michael Storer has enjoyed the best Australian finish yet at this year's Tour de France but he still had to bow to Ben Healy, who was the toast of Ireland after being their first winner for five years in Vire Normandie.
On a day when Tadej Pogacar was happy after the sixth stage on Thursday to hand the yellow jersey back over to his brilliant Dutch classics rival Mathieu van der Poel, who reclaimed it by just one second, Healy proved inspired in his career-best win, soloing to victory from 42km out.
On the 201.5km slog from Bayeux, which featured six minor climbs before a sharp 10 percent gradient finish, Tudor Pro's Storer and American Quinn Simmons, who'd got into the early breakaway, ended battling for the runner's up spot some two minutes and 44 seconds behind the EF Education-EasyPost rider.
