Ben Healy crossed the line 10th at +14 seconds in the same chasing group that included the likes of pre-race favourite Isaac del Toro, Tom Pidcock, Mads Pedersen, Matteo Jorgenson and Giulio Ciccone after a relentlessly aggressive, attritional 273.7kms race featuring 3,803 m of climbing on the Mount Royal circuit.
Brandon McNulty’s solo victory from around 33km out delivered the United States its first elite men’s road race world title since 1993, with Michael Matthews taking Silver and Mathieu van der Poel Bronze, both at 13 seconds.
Ireland’s four-rider team of Healy, Darren Rafferty, Jamie Meehan and Ryan Mullen executed their plan almost perfectly on a day when numbers were stacked heavily against them.
- 8 teams with 8 riders
- 1 team with 7 riders
- 8 teams with 6 riders
- 4 teams with 4 riders (including Ireland)
- 3 teams with 3 riders
- 3 teams with 2 riders
- Multiple teams with 1 rider
In fact the numbers game worked to the advantage of the Americans as they had new fewer than THREE riders at the head of affairs coming into the final stages.
Although Belgium had of 3 riders in the Top 10 in Glasgow 2023 with Wout van Aert (2nd), Jasper Stuyven (6th), and Tiesj Benoot (9th), Mathieu van der Poel, Netherlands, took Gold. We have to go back to 2008 for an equally impressive team performance. That year Italy fell just short of completing a clean sweep of the podium: Alessandro Ballan (1st), Damiano Cunego (2nd), and Davide Rebellin (4th).
Matteo Jorgenson and Quinn Simmins doing an exceptional job of neutralising and frustrating any attacks behind his teammate. USA might even consider themselves unlucky to miss out on a second medal with Simmins (4th) or Jorgenson (8th) after such a brilliant team ride.
In contrast, because Ireland only had four starters in a field dominated by larger squads, the green jerseys prioritised early aggression, and the protection and positioning for Healy.
They came up just short of a podium or higher placing but still delivered a top-ten result that underlines the progress of the current generation. It was not for the want of trying from Healy with his never-give-up swashbuckling style.
Early work and the Meehan break
Ryan Mullen, the experienced road captain and multiple national time-trial champion, did the early heavy lifting as was expected and his job was done after the 112km opening loop and the 2nd of 12 laps, when he pulled up.
And what an absolutely outstanding performance by Jamie Meehan! The Donegal man stepped up in the opening hours, slotting into a 16-rider breakaway that also featured Biniam Girmay, Andreas Leknessund, Felix Engelhardt, Henok Mulubrhan, Guillaume Boivin, Emīls Liepiņš and others. The move built a maximum advantage of more than eight minutes on the long approach through Montérégie before the race hit the repeated Mount Royal laps.
As the peloton, driven relentlessly by France’s Bruno Armirail and others, steadily reeled the escapees in, Meehan proved one of the strongest survivors. He was among the final quartet (with Leknessund, Mulubrhan and Liepiņš) still clear before the remnants were absorbed with just over 100 km remaining.
He was still working for Healy to ensure our 2025 Bronze Medalist remained well positioned. Having done the job of forcing other teams to chase and injecting early attrition, Meehan pulled out on lap 10.
Darren Rafferty, Healy’s EF Education-EasyPost teammate and a key support rider from last year’s bronze-medal ride in Kigali, stayed longest among our support riders or domestiques. He was still in the race deep into the finale before exiting end lap 11 after protecting and positioning Healy through the selective middle and late stages.
Healy right in the thick of it
Another Healyesque ride by this great champion. What a treat to watch him go about his business. Healy himself was highly active once the race exploded on the circuit leaving absolutely everything on the road as is his MO.
He featured in several of the key mid-race moves as groups formed and reformed around Van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Primož Roglič, Oscar Onley, Quinn Simmons and others.
At one stage he bridged superbly, first catching Onley then powering across to a front trio of Van der Poel, Simmons and Roglič to create a temporary four-man lead group.
With four laps remaining he was clear of the main chasers and led through the finish line on Avenue du Parc just 19 seconds behind the then-leaders. He remained in the elite selection as McNulty launched his decisive move, stayed with the fragmented chase all the way to the finish, and produced another strong Worlds showing after his 7th in Zürich 2024 and bronze in Rwanda 2025.
Numbers. The small Irish squad could not match the numerical depth of the big nations, yet their execution with Meehan forcing the early pace from the break, Mullen and Rafferty providing successive layers of support, and Healy free to race aggressively was tactially spot on.
Healy was consistently in the right moves and still had the legs to contest the front group to the line. A podium proved just out of reach, only just though, despite his mustering up the strength for one last roll of the dice with just a couple of kms to go in a chaotic finale.
Easy to say that hesitation and counter-attacks among the favourites allowed McNulty to hold on, but the winner’s teammate’s legitimate spoiling tactics cannot be understated. Simmons was allowing NOTHING or NOBODY to go after his compatriot!
Although Healy himself is likely to be understandably disappointed with not equalling his 2025 podium if not bettering it, his top-ten finish on such a demanding course remains an exceptional return.
Where it ranks among Irish performances
This result continues the strongest sustained period for Irish elite men at the Worlds in decades. We’re being spoilt at the moment! Healy’s own recent record is impressive in itself: 3 Top-Tens 3 years in a row! 7th in 2024, Bronze in 2025 and now 10th this year stands well clear of almost everything since the Kelly/Roche era. Seán Kelly’s medals (bronze in 1982 and 1989) and top-five finishes, Stephen Roche’s 1987 world title, Bronze in 1983 (plus other top-tens), and Shay Elliott’s earlier Silver in 1962 remain the historical benchmarks.
Outside those golden years and Healy’s current run, top-ten finishes in the elite men’s road race have been extremely rare for Ireland.
A top ten in Montréal, delivered after near-perfect team work with limited numbers and in a race that rewarded the most aggressive and durable riders, certainly ranks among the very best modern Irish performances at the event. If it falls short only of Healy’s own 2025 medal and the legendary results of the 1980s, it reinforces that Irish cycling is once again competing at the sharp end on the biggest one-day stage of all.
It’s hard to believe that Healy is only 26, not to mention both Meehan and Rafferty being only 23! With solid performances at Junior and U23 level this past week, there is certainly plenty for Irish cycling fans to look forward to in the coming years. Mol an óige …
