Eddie Dunbar (Team Jayco AlUla) has let his general classification hopes slip at AlUla Tour in Saudi Arabia after suffering in the crosswinds of stage 3 today.
Dunbar lost his place - along with many others - in the main peloton inside the last hour of racing when the pace suddenly shot up inside the 40km to go marker.
The Irishman eventually got into the second large group on the road, as it gradually closed the gap to the leading bunch. However, Dunbar appeared to lose his place in that group and lost significant time after 180.6km of racing into Tayma Fort.
With 36km to go, and just as the early breakaway was being caught, Tudor Pro Cycling put the race in the left gutter in the crosswind and immediately strung out the field.
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?️?♂️ A long, windy stage led to an intense battle in the desert before another thrilling sprint finish in Tayma! ?
? Check out the highlights of Stage 3!#AlUlaTour ?? pic.twitter.com/pzO17rTZoq— طواف العلا | ALULATOUR (@thealulatour) January 30, 2025
The Swiss team did significant damage immediately and were quickly joined by others riding up and over at the front, including overall leader Tom Pidcock and his Q36.5 Pro Cycling team.
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Bahrain Victorious also joined, as did eventual stage winner Timer Merlier and his Soudal-QuickStep team mates, as well as some of Dunbar's team, including Adam Hatherly.
Within 3km, though the crosswind was modest, the field was reduced to 50-60 riders, with Dunbar apparently caught out at that point along with others.
They were then scooped up by a large chasing group, forming a small bunch of about 30 riders. They cooperated well about 25km after the hammer dropped, and with 10km remaining, the gap between the lead bunch and second group, containing Dunbar, was only 35 seconds.
In the next couple of kilometres, that gap halved and looked like Dunbar's group may catch the leaders. However, with 4km to go, and with the gap between the groups no more than 10 to 15 seconds, it became clear the second group on the road and been trimmed right back and Dunbar was no longer in it.
In the end, Merlier won the final dash to the line from Dylan Groenewegen (Team Jayco AlUla) and Juan Sebastián Molano (UAE Team Emirates - XRG).
Dunbar was back in 86th at 1:02, thus slipping from 4th overall this morning, at 18 seconds, to 19th at 1:30. Overall leader Piddock suffered a later puncture but was inside the final 3km so lost no time.
He leads by eight seconds from Rainer Kepplinger (Bahrain-Victorious), with Dunbar's team mate Hatherly in 3rd at 13 seconds.
