"I really want to prioritise that stage win goal," he said.
Southam echoes this.
"His general classification position is a byproduct of the race that we have been doing with him," he said.
"That’s not ultimately our goal here. That has been clear and is clear with Ben. We are going to continue racing in the same fashion with him with the focus on winning a stage. And then whatever comes, comes."
For those seeking to be part of the Tour’s breakaways, a high general classification position can be counterproductive.
A top ten finish in the race is prestigious, and those riders with that goal already in mind will be fiercely protective of their positions in the overall standings.
If Healy is deemed a threat, their teams will chase breakaway groups he is in.
At this point in time, Southam said that the current time gaps give Healy sufficient buffer for him to not trigger that pursuit.
"To be honest if you get stuck too close, then you get the interest of the other guys in the lower part of the top ten," he explained.
"Where Ben sits now, almost 15 minutes off the top ten, is actually ideal because if he was three minutes behind then maybe one of those teams in the lower top ten would start chasing on a day where the break might make it to the line."
Fortunately the previous pattern of race leader Pogacar’s team riding hard and chasing down breakaways may change in these final stages.
The Slovenian is more than three minutes clear of Vingegaard, enabling him and his team to be more defensive and not to have to chase time bonuses at the finish line.
The Portuguese rider Joao Almeida is one of the strongest on the UAE Team Emirates squad, and he suggested that the team may change its approach.
"For sure on some stages we are going to let the breakaway go," he said on Sunday. "We can be a bit more conservative."
That’s good news for Healy, who has proven he has the form and ability to land a victory between now and Saturday.
A win in Sunday’s concluding time trial in Nice is a longshot, but it is in the remaining four road race stages beforehand that he has a chance of a victory.
Southam has faith in him that this can be achieved. Much will depend on how the other teams behave, if the breakaways are again chased down or not, but a little more leeway is often given towards the end of the Tour.
If Healy is again in the same position as before, he believes that he can achieve his big goal.
"We came to win a stage. It is Ben’s first Tour and to have already performed the way he did is exceptional," said Southam.
"A lot of riders come with very good legs to their first Tour but get overawed with it, which he hasn’t. So far, so good.
"There are some remaining mountain stages, we will see. Obviously Ben has gone very deep, even on the gravel stage. So we want to get him through and give him another opportunity.
"I would say if he has the same legs, then he can be competitive on any of stages 17,18, 19 and 20."
Healy will be on a mission between Wednesday and Saturday. He’s building momentum, both for this race and for his future participations in the Tour.
"It’s nice to come here and just show that I'm able to race and able to play my cards," he said.
"To throw my hat in the ring and be in the run for a stage win. That gives me confidence."
Achieving that goal would give him even more.
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