Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) has been on the attack at Tour de Wallonie for the second day in succession. Compatriot Eddie Dunbar (Ineos Grenadiers) also had a go off the front of the bunch on today's stage 3 when it looked like Healy's breakaway was being brought back.
In the end, the 195.6km stage from Visé to Rochefort came down to a bunch sprint, won by Belgium's new up and coming fast man Arnaud De Lie, a 20-year-old riding for Lotto Soudal. He saw off Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux) and Axel Laurance (B&B Hotels-KTM) on the drag up to the line.
Healy got away in the main breakaway of the day just before the 5km Côte de Malboutée climb, crested with 74km completed. In that move with the Irishman were: Jake Stewart (GroupamaFDJ), Jorge Arcas (Movistar), Stan Van Tricht (QuickStep Alpha Vinyl), Casper Pedersen (Team,DSM), Ivo Oliveira and Matteo Trentin (both UAE Team Emirates).
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By the time they had 90km covered, the seven-man breakaway had an advantage of almost three minutes over the peloton, which was being led by the Lotto Soudal team of eventual stage winner De Lie.
By the time the breakaway raced over the finish line for the first time, with an undulating 62km remaining, the gap was down to 1:45. Another 30km up the road, the breakaway split as Stewart attacked and Healy and Arcas responded. That made for a new three-man lead group, with the bunch just under one minute down and the remains of the breakaway just 10 seconds behind the leading trio.
As the gap continued to drop, Dunbar lit it up with an attack on an incline; hoping to get a group going off the front of the bunch and perhaps compete for the stage victory. However, his attack was neutralised as the breakaway out front reformed.
Healy's breakaway was eventually caught with about 20km to go and while Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa Samsic) attacked in the finale and eked out a small gap, he too was recaptured, paving the way for a bunch sprint.
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Today's stage was the second attacking session for Healy, who spent most of yesterday's stage 2 - some 176.8km from Verviers to Herve - up the road. However, while riders from that group survived to the finish, Healy was distanced and finished on his own one minute back, in 15th place.
Oier Lazkano (Movistar) claimed that win yesterday, on an uphill finish, by three seconds from Loïc Vliegen (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux), with Jesús Herrada (Cofidis) 3rd at seven seconds.
Young Australian Robert Stannard (Groupama-FDJ) then led in an 11-man group, at 11 seconds, which was enough for him to take the race lead, which he retained on today's stage 3. Healy finished on his own yesterday exactly one minute down on the stage winner, on a day when the peloton - containing Dunbar - lost 8:28.
The opening stage on Saturday, up the Mur de Huy, was won by Julian Alaphilippe (QuickStep Alpha Vinyl), though he was stranded in the bunch yesterday and lost his leader's jersey. The world champion abandoned before the start of today's stage 3 due to a positive Covid-19 test.
Dunbar finished in 25th place on that opening stage up the brutal climb to the line, losing 41 seconds to Alaphilippe. The Frenchman won by one second from Alex Aranburu (Movistar), with Stannard 3rd on the same time. Healy was 55th at 1:27 on that opening stage.
After today's result, Healy - who picked up time bonuses and climbers' points while up the road - is now 19th overall, some 2:19 down on race leader Stannard. Dunbar is 32nd at 9:03 with two stages remaining.
