Eddie Dunbar finishes stage 3 of the Tour of Britain with Bradley Wiggins for company; two top men (Photo: NFTO Pro Cycling)
Eddie Dunbar may have trailed home over one minute down on stage 3 of the Tour of Britain on Tuesday, but he was in some very big company.
The 19-year-old NFTO Pro Cycling man is the youngest rider in the race and finished alongside the most decorated and revered man in the history of British cycling, Bradley Wiggins (Team WIGGINS).
Best of the Irish quartet in the race was Ryan Mullen; the new Cannondale-Garmin man coming in just off the back of the 50-rider bunch sprinting for victory into Kelso and relinquishing 13 seconds.
The field split with just over 3km to go when a crash took out a number of riders including race leader and stage 2 winner Petr Vakoc (Etixx-Quick Step).
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He finished the stage but came home exactly 10 minutes down after taking some time to get himself steadied enough to continue after his fall.
The Irish riders couldn't get enough of Bradley Wiggins on the road to Floors Castle; Eddie Dunbar finishing alongside him and in this shot Ryan Mullen shadowing him.
And because that spill came with 3.4km remaining, he did not benefit from the rule that stipulates riders crashing inside the last 3km in a stage race are credited with the same time as the group they were in at the time.
It meant the race lead passed to Juan Jose Lobato Del Valle (Movistar) who was 2nd starting the stage just 11 seconds off the yellow jersey.
He now leads by 10 seconds from Edvald Boasson Hagen (MTN - Qhubeka), with Floris Gerts (BMC Racing) in 3rd a further 2 seconds back.
Team Sky's best placed rider overall is Wouter Poels who is just 13 seconds back.
He is equal on time with last year's Tour of Britain final yellow jersey Dylan van Baarle (Cannondale-Garmin).
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Team Sky's Italian fastman Elia Viviani takes Tuesday's stage 3 at the Tour of Britain to add to his victory on the opening day. The man finishing 2nd - just to the right of shot in the blue points jersey - is new race leader Juan Jose Lobato Del Valle of Movistar.
In 6th place overall, just 14 seconds off the lead, is Owain Doull; the 22-year-old who is now riding for Team WIGGINS having spent last season with Irish Continental team An Post-Chainreaction.
Conor Dunne of An Post-Chainreaction lost 7:18 on the stage with his team mate Jack Wilson coming home 10:22 after Elia Viviani took victory from the new race leader, with Matteo Trentin of Etixx-Quick Step in 3rd.
Viviani, who won the opening stage on Sunday, triumphed again after the early breakaway pulled out four minutes at one point, with the last of them only mopped up inside 4km to go.
That group consisted of Tyler Farrar (MTN – Qhubeka), Russell Downing (Cult Energy Pro Cycling), Aidis Kruopis (An Post – Chainreaction), Marcin Bialoblocki (One Pro Cycling), Mathew Cronshaw (Madison Genesis) and Jonathan McEvoy (NFTO).
Wednesday's stage 4 takes the riders 217.4km from Edinburgh to Blyth, with one cat 2 and two cat 3 climbs to scale, the last of which is crested just over 70km from the finish.
Stage 3: Cockermouth to Kelso-Floors Castle (216km)
1 Elia Viviani (Ita) Team Sky 5:08:18
2 Juan Jose Lobato Del Valle (Esp) Movistar Team
3 Matteo Trentin (Ita) Etixx - Quick Step
4 Sondre Holst Enger (Nor) IAM Cycling
5 Jens Debusschere (Bel) Lotto - Soudal
6 Owain Doull (GBr) Team WIGGINS
7 Alberto Bettiol (Ita) Team Cannondale - Garmin
8 Graham Briggs (GBr) JLT Condor
9 Alex Peters (GBr) Great Britain
10 Wouter Poels (Ned) Team Sky
54 Ryan Mullen (Irl) Cannondale - Garmin 0:00:13
71 Eddie Dunbar (Irl) NFTO 0:01:20
100 Conor Dunne (Irl) An Post-Chainreaction 0:07:18
108 Jack Wilson (Irl) An Post-Chainreaction 0:10:22
General Classification
1 Juan Jose Lobato Del Valle (Esp) Movistar Team 13:37:04
2 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) MTN - Qhubeka 0:00:10
3 Floris Gerts (Ned) BMC Racing Team 0:00:12
4 Wouter Poels (Ned) Team Sky 0:00:13
5 Dylan van Baarle (Ned) Team Cannondale - Garmin
6 Owain Doull (GBr) Team WIGGINS 0:00:14
7 Graham Briggs (GBr) JLT Condor
8 Rasmus Guldhammer Pedersen (Den) Cult Energy Pro Cycling
9 Matteo Trentin (Ita) Etixx - Quick Step 0:00:18
10 Serge Pauwels (Bel) MTN - Qhubeka 0:00:20
76 Ryan Mullen (Irl) Team Cannondale - Garmin 0:22:19
93 Eddie Dunbar (Irl) NFTO 0:23:50
103 Conor Dunne (Irl) An Post - Chainreaction 0:29:32
113 Jack Wilson (Irl) An Post - Chainreaction 0:34:12
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