Eddie Dunbar has a big opportunity to get his season off with a bang in coming days at Tour de La Provence (2.Pro) where he was 7th overall last year.
The Irish cyclist
(23) goes into the French race
with status as co-leader of Team Ineos along with Gianni Moscon and Pavel
Sivakov.
It will be a
chance for Dunbar to test himself in a four-stage race with three days of
climbing, including a summit finish on Mont Ventoux.
He will do battle with Arkéa-Samsic’s Nairo Quintana and Warren Barguil while Wilco Kelderman (Team Sunweb) and 2019 race winner Gorka Izagirre (Astana) also line up.
Sepp Kuss of Jumbo Visma may also be one to watch following his stage win at the Vuelta last year.
The opening stage
tomorrow is a flat 149.5km run from Châteaurenard to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, with just a
2km climb averaging 3.9 per cent shortly after the start.
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If Dunbar has
good early season legs, as was the case last year, a big chance presents itself
as early as Friday’s stage 2.
The
174.9km stage from Aubagne to La Ciotat is littered with climbing; the 10.3km
Col de l’Espigoulier at 5.4 per cent kicking up from the start line.
With
53.5km done the riders crest the second cat 1 of the day, the 7.4km Co la
Coutranne averaging 5 per cent.
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The
third ascent late in the stage is a cat 3 of 1.5km, at 5.2 per cent, crested
after 78km.
Later
the finale should really kick off on the 3.1km Le Brulat; a 7.4 per cent ascent
topped out after 153km.
And
the finish is then a 4.7km climb, La Ciotat, at seven per cent to conclude a
stage that could really suit Dunbar.
On
Saturday, stage 3 takes the riders some 140.2km from Istres to Mont Ventoux.
There
are three climbs before the big finale; a 1km cat 3 after 57km, a 3km cat 3
after 72km and a 7.5km climb average 4 per cent and peaked at 99km.
The
finish at Mont Ventoux Chalet Reynard is 9km from base to summit and will be a
big test so early in the season.
On
Sunday the race concludes with another hilly 17.5km stage from Avignon to
Aix-en-Provence.
It’s
up and down all day with the hardest challenge the cat 1 Col de l’Aire del
Masco; 6.7km at 4.7 per cent just after the halfway point.
The
final climb of the day is the 2.6km La Cride peaked with about 14km to go to
the finish.
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