1. Valentin Paret-Peintre, France, Soudal Quick-Step, 4:03:19. 2. Ben Healy, Ireland, EF Education-EasyPost, same time. 3. Santiago Buitrago, Colombia, Bahrain Victorious, 4:03:23. 4. Ilan van Wilder, Belgium, Soudal Quick-Step, 4:03:33.

IRELAND’S BEN HEALY was pipped to second by France’s Valentin Paret-Peintre in a sensational sprint finish to stage 16 of the Tour de France. After a gruelling four hours from Montpellier, Paret-Peintre beat Healy up the final hill of the Mont Ventoux stage to become the first French stage winner at this year’s Tour.

The EF Education-EasyPost rider escaped from a high-quality, eight-man breakaway to earn the biggest win of his career

Ireland has a new cycling hero. Ben Healy has become the fourth Irish rider to earn the Tour de France’s yellow jersey on Monday with a gritty ride in the fabled race’s first mountainous stage.

Ben Healy rode himself into the ground in a nail-biting finale to become the first Irishman in 38 years to wear the yellow jersey at the Tour de France, as Britain's Simon Yates claimed victory in stage 10 on Monday with a perfectly timed attack.

The Irishman broke away with 40 kilometers to go and won on Thursday. Mathieu Van der Poel of the Netherlands is back in the yellow jersey, one second ahead of the Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar.

Ireland’s Ben Healy lost a chance at Stage 10 victory Monday but gained something far more valuable when he took over the leader’s yellow jersey at the Tour de France following a 165.3-kilometer battle in the mountains from Ennezat to Le Mont-Dore Puy de Sancy.

Tour de France continues on Friday with Stage 7, a 197 km trek through Brittany featuring rolling terrain and a dramatic finish at Mûr-de-Bretagne.

Can Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel bounce back - or will Tadej Pogacar seal another Tour de France stage win?