Dunbar's Jayco AlUla sees Tour challenge come under pressure | Video

Eddie Dunbar is at the Tour de France to support the general classification hopes of Ben O'Connor, but that plan is coming under serious pressure (Photo: Ivan Benedetto-Sprint Cycling Agency)

Eddie Dunbar and Mauro Schmid today at the Tour de France led come their Jayco AlUla team leader, Ben O'Connor. They were almost two minutes down on the men O'Connor has designs on challenging for a place on the podium when the race ends in Paris.

O'Connor's time loss - even though Dunbar and Schmid waited for him - is a really big blow so early in the race. It follows a crash for the Australian since the action began and some incidents for Dunbar on stage 2, though the Irishman has avoided injury.

The team has looked disjointed at some of the tougher moments in the finals of these early stages, as the fields have split up in very aggressive, often dangerous, racing. However, though O'Connor, and Dunbar, have not exactly been mixing it at the front, they may do better as the race progresses and fatigue begins to take its poll across the peloton.

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O'Connor is now back in 29th place, 2:36 off Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), who are 1st and 2nd overall on the same time.

The Australian - 2nd in last year's Vuelta - has also shipped between one and two minutes to many other riders who will be racing for a place in the top five. And though his time loss is far from devastating, if it were to continue for even another couple of stages, mounting a general classification challenge would become very unlikely.

That may be good news for Dunbar, who has come into this race in support of a team leader, O'Connor, carrying most of the pressure. And though O'Connor has previously finished 4th in the Tour, if he cannot steady the ship very soon, that would lead to the team switching its focus to stage wins, which could suit Dunbar.

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On today's stage, Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) appeared to suffer from a mishap - either crash or mechanical-related - with just over 20km to go to the finish in Rouen. From that point, he was forced into a chase as UAE Team Emirates-XRG was shredding the race with its relentless pace on the front during the undulating final.

In the end, a seven-man select group formed at the front, after Pogačar lit it up on the last short and steep climb, just 5km from the finish. He was matched all the way by Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike), before five more got across to them.

At the finish, Pogačar won the sprint for victory from yellow jersey Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), with a very impressive Vingegaard in 3rd. Then came 22-year-old Scot Oscar Onley (Team Picnic PostNL), with Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) in 5th; the 22-year-old getting across to the seven leaders in the last kilometre.

Dunbar crossed the line in 42nd at 1:49, with Healy 45th at 1:53. Healy is now 35th overall, at 4:17 while Dunbar is 55th at 8:33. However, that time loss is meaningless to the two Irish riders as neither is riding for general classification.

Indeed, the more time they lose now the more leeway to attack they will have in the second and third week of the race, when the hillier terrain that better suits them kicks in. Healy has no obstacles in his way in the sense he has no team leader to support. He will definitely have numerous chances at a stage win, once he has the legs.

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Dunbar's race is more complicated in that O'Connor is the clear team leader riding for GC and the Irish rider will work in his service. But if O'Connor's race keeps going the way it has so far, all bets may be off sooner rather than later.

And Dunbar may find himself in a fantastic position; with a chance of aiming for his own results, having already lost time and with his team mate absorbing most of the pressure.

The race continues tomorrow with a 33km flat TT in Caen. Remco Evenepoel (Soudal QuickStep) - who was dropped by the big two today before clawing his way back up to them - is perhaps favourite to win the stage.

However, it will be fascinating to see if Vingegaard can take any time on Pogačar and begin to string together a genuine effort to take the challenge to the Slovenian, who has been in a class of his own this season.

Vingegaard looked very strong today - even on the short and steep climbs better suited to Pogačar. And that early dynamic - of a closely matched Pogačar and Vingegaard - will hopefully make for a competitive fight for yellow all the way to Paris.

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