Eddie Dunbar will be back in action from tomorrow for five days at the Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista Del Sol with Ineos Grendiers. He is selected in a team that also includes Ethan Hayter, who won a stage and went close to taking the general classification victory at Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta the week before last.
Also riding with Ineos Grenadiers in the week ahead are: Owain Doull, Sebastian Henao, Carlos Rodrigiez, Luke Rowe and Ben Swift. It is a race that can suit Dunbar if he gets a chance. The fact the Giro is on at present, and many big name risers are resting, means the Ruta Del Sol holds real prospects for anyone, like Dunbar, searching for a breakthrough victory. And the chances for climbers like Dunbar come early in the race.
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The opening stage - 152km from Mijas to Zahara de la Sierra - ends with a 1.5km climb at 6 per cent. Wednesday's stage 2 could be another chance as the race - 185km from Iznájar to Alcalá la Real - features two climbs in the finale. The first is an 8.2km climb at 5.6 per cent, followed by a descent and then a ramp of just under 1km to the finish line at an average gradient of 11.5 per cent.
Matt Teggart (Velo Club Villefranche Beaujolais) and Ben Healy (Trinity Racing) both completed the Tour d'Eure-et-Loir yesterday, with the three-stage UCI 2.2 race ending with 193.5km from Bonneval to Chartres.
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It ended in a sprint to the finish line from a bunch of just 50 riders as the race split significantly. Teggart was 14th on the day and Healy was 20th. Both riders were aggressive during the race and both spent time off the front in breakaways during the three days.
The final stage was won by Paul Penhoët, with the Equipe Continentale Groupama-FDJ rider also winning overall. Healy was 17th overall at 17 seconds and Teggart was 33rd overall on the same time.
Meanwhile, also in France yesterday, Irish TT champion Conn McDunphy rounded out the Tour du Loiret. The CC Nogent Sur Oise rider looked set to take the yellow jersey on Saturday but punctured as he was up the road just 6-7km from the finish line.
Yesterday in the morning stage 3 TT he was 14th; losing 36 seconds to stage winner Johan Le Bon (Dinan Sport Cycling), who was leading the race having also won stage 1 on Friday when McDunphy was in the breakaway.
Yesterday afternoon's 86km road stage, which concluded the race, came down to a bunch sprint and was won by Camille Batista (Guidon Chalettois), with McDunphy in 37th place in the reduced peloton. The Irish rider ended the race in 8th overall, some 51 seconds down on overall winner Le Bon.
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