Eddie Dunbar (Team Jayco AlUla) said he would have loved to win yesterday’s Tour de France stage to add to his double victory at last year’s Vuelta. However, he added he simply did not have the legs to go after Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) when he attacked from the breakaway over 40km from the finish.
And though the breakaway was made up of some very big name riders – including Simon Yates (Visma Lease a Bike) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) – Dunbar said nobody could match the Healy attack. He was so strong in soloing his way to victory he put 2:44 into runner-up Quinn Simmons (Lidl Trek).
“It was pretty brutal, being honest,” said Dunbar after the 201.5km stage to Vire Normandie, 133km of which he spent on the attack on his way 4th, some 3:21 down on Healy.
“Even to get in the breakaway was difficult. I made one effort to get in, I happened to jump across to that group that Ben (Healy) was in with Mathieu (van der Poel) and Quinn Simmons. That was tough, it took a while to crack the peloton. And once we did, we didn’t even ease up ourself, we just kept going.
“We didn’t ease up once because the peloton just kept on going, they wouldn’t leave it go. It was an incredibly strong breakaway, everyone pretty much did their fair share.
“And then Ben obviously put in a super impressive ride, he attacked at a really good moment, used his power at the right moment. I was just disappointed. You get a chance there to win a stage at the Tour and, I would say, come up short. But Ben was just completely dominant there today, but you’re close, so it’s a bit disappointing.”
Dunbar joked that having won at the Giro and now at the Tour, Healy could have to complete his set of Grand Tour stage wins at the Vuelta, where he himself won twice last year.
“He was unbelievable. I knew he was going to attack with 40-50k to go. And if I had the legs I would have probably tried to go with him. But I didn’t and I think it was clear nobody else in that group did. So chapeau to him, he deserved to win. How he got 2½ minutes, I have no idea. I’m just tired, really tired.”
Dunbar added at the moment that Healy attacked, even though he and others tried to initially give chase, he felt the stage win was gone.
“I knew he was going to win that stage, that’s what he does. He’s always done it. And any time he’s won a big stage, a big race, he’s done the exact same thing. I had a feeling he’d target this day, especially after the TT when guys have gone very hard.
“He’s very smart at picking when to go for a stage and this was one that completely suited his characteristics. And if someone was able to bring him back, that would have been their race over. But nobody was able to.”
