Ben Healy shows intent as emotional Victor Campenaerts takes first stage win

Ben Healy once again showed his fighting resolve on stage 18 of the Tour de France where new dad Victor Campenaerts celebrated an emotional first career stage win in the iconic race.

Breakaway specialist Campenaerts got his timing right in a three-up sprint against Tour debutant Matteo Vercher and Michal Kwiatkowski to win in Barcelonnette before immediately joining a tearful video call with his girlfriend Nel and their baby boy Gustaaf, a little over a month old.

Tadej Pogacar kept his lead in the yellow jersey of three minutes and 11 seconds from defending champion Jonas Vingegaard, with Remco Evenepoel just under two minutes further back in third place.

Irish cyclist Healy has been one of the most aggressive riders in this year's Tour, and the 23-year-old again demonstrated that on the 179.5km stage from Gap to Barcelonnette, billed as the last chance for the breakaway favourites.

Healy was among 38 riders that peeled off the front of the peloton on the Col du Festre, the first of five categorised climbs on the day.

In a powerful group that contained the likes of Geraint Thomas, Wout Van Aert, Jai Hindley and Richard Carapaz, the peloton allowed the gap to move into double figures, with attacks starting with 65km to go.

Healy tried his luck first, sparking a series of counters - including a couple from Thomas which ended with Kwiatkowski escaping along with Campenaerts and Vercher.

Hindley was part of a five-strong group that tried to bridge over on the long, uncategorised rise towards Barcelonnette, but although they should have had the horsepower, they lacked the cohesion and the front trio stayed away.

Healy rolled across the line 16’29" down on the stage winner, and nearly three minutes on the main group that included