At different stages of their careers - with two in the hunt for new contracts - Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) and Eddie Dunbar (Team Jayco AlUla) all went into Tirreno Adriatico chasing different definitions of success.
Dunbar and Healy were both leaders of their teams, and aiming for big general classification results. Dunbar was trying to build on the massive step forward in his career at last year's Vuelta, where he took two brilliant, long overdue, stage wins.
Healy was targeting the first general classification result of his career, at last riding the first major race where GC was the goal from the start. Bennett was continuing his quest to get back to his best, but with the wind at his back now in a way it perhaps hasn't been for a long time.
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Let's examine each rider in detail and what Tirreno Adriatico tells us about their form and their chances of big success in the period ahead.
Eddie Dunbar Team Jayco AlUla
The Italian World Tour stage race was very much a game of two halves for Dunbar. His performance in the opening TT - 13th on a pan flat course - really suggested he was in great shape. Far from losing time, and hoping those losses might be small, Dunbar beat most of his general classification rivals and only lost modest time to a few others. That performance whet everyone's appetite for what he would be able to do when the race reached the climbs.
He started stage 5 placed 7th overall, just 44 seconds down on race leader Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) and just 15 seconds off the podium. But a crash on the 205km road to Pergola put him out of the race. A big chance was gone, while in great condition, and his early season progress was interrupted.
The medical updates so far have been scant, save to say he suffered no broken bones but had sustained whiplash. It is an injury that can sometimes come to concussion - which Dunbar has suffered from before. But, to date, there has been no mention of that from this Team Jayco AlUla squad.
Dunbar's next assignment - Itzulia Basque Country (2.UWT) - is not for another three weeks. Hopefully he can recover in time for that race. If he makes the start line, his early season setback would be limited. But it is definitely a case of wait and see.
Sam Bennett Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
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Bennett went into the race with two wins already notched up this year, both at Tour de la Provence (2.1) last month. Tirreno Adriatico was about searching for a result that would confirm his form. And though he came away without a win, the week of hard racing in Italy yielded plenty of upside for Bennett.
He very narrowly missed winning the final stage - just beaten by Jonathan Milan (Lidl Trek) - but looked very strong in that sprint. Indeed, his 2nd place there was arguably a better quality sprint, against bigger names, than either of his wins in France last month.
Bennett last took a victory in a World Tour race in the 2022 Vuelta, where he won two stages before Covid-19 forced him out. A sprinter of his quality, with his palmares, needs to win in the biggest races. And Bennett has spent recent seasons trying to produce the kind of efforts that would offer proof he can get back there again.
Though beaten fair and square by Milan on Sunday, Bennett looked very fast and his team support appeared of a higher quality. It certainly maintained its strength until much deeper in the gallop than at other races.
Bennett rides Grand Prix de Denain on Thursday and may be added to the team for Milan-Sanremo, which would be a sign of the team's growing confidence in him, and Bennett's clearly improving condition.
Some have written him off but, on the strength of the evidence of recent weeks, there is more to come from Bennett. And that 'more to come' looks likely to prove the kind of wins we haven't seen for a couple of years.
Ben Healy EF Education-EasyPost
Healy's performance in Strade Bianche, where he rode to 4th and enjoyed an especially strong final, absolutely confirmed his early season form. He had a break of just one day before he jumped into action at Tirreno Adriatico.
After a decent TT - finishing 20th - he looked strong, going on the attack on stages 3 and 4. Though his efforts to gain time were not rewarded, it looked like full steam ahead for Healy.
However when the front group hit the final climb of stage 5, Healy unexpectedly went backwards. There was, however, better news on stage 6; the Irish rider bouncing back to compete at the front in the hilly final before finishing 8th on the day.
Tirreno Adriatico was the first major race of Healy's career where he went in targeting the general classification. Unfortunately, his time lost on stage 5 ruled him out of any challenge. But his dip in form that day - especially after he was so strong at Strade Bianche - should prove no more than a blip for him.
