Eddie Dunbar has taken victory on the penultimate stage of the An Post Rás into Baltinglass (Photo: Ryan Byrne - Inpho)
By Brian Canty
Less than six weeks after breaking his arm in a crash while out training in Cork, Eddie Dunbar has bounced back in stunning fashion with victory on stage seven of the An Post Rás today, Saturday.
The 19-year old Corkman won a sprint from a five-man breakaway into Baltinglass, edging fellow U23 Jai Hindley (Australia national team) and race leader Clemens Fankheuser (Austria Tirol Cycling).
Dunbar threw his hands in the air as he crossed the finish line before a massive crowd.
The result sees him jump to fourth overall and he is the highest placed Irish rider at 19 seconds going into tomorrow's final stage.
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Damien Shaw (AN Post Chain Reaction) started the day third at two seconds but he slipped to sixth overall and now trails by 58 seconds.
How it unfolded
Today’s penultimate stage of the race took the riders on a 155-kilometre journey from Dungarvan to Baltinglass and there were four categorised climbs en route.
The latter was the category one ascent of Mount Leinster and many felt that if overnight leader Clemens Fankheuser was to be toppled it was here where the main body of attacks would come.
Indeed with a sweeping descent and less than 50 kilometres to the finish line, it appeared on paper to be a great springboard for an attack.
The penultimate stage of the race passes through Kilmacthomas on an action-packed afternoon (Photo: Ryan Byrne)
But the Ras hasn’t gained a reputation as an unpredictable race for nothing and with 20 riders within a minute of the Austrian, it was foolhardy to think he wouldn’t be attacked before that.
Bryan McCrystal (ASEA-Wheelworx) was active early on but after he was brought back inside 10 kilometres another move stole a few yards.
Ronan McLaughlin (Ireland national team), Dexter Gardias (Aix en Provence), Nicolai Brochner (Riwal Platform) and Ike Groen (Join-S De Rijke) were among those who clipped away but the bunch was having none of it, despite none being any threat on GC.
Heading through Newtown and Portlaw before the first categorised climb of the day at Killinaspick the riders were setting a ferocious tempo and they were at the base of that first ramp inside an hour.
At Fiddown, 11 riders broke clear including Robert De Greef (Join-S De Rijke), Simon Ryan (Mego RAW Cycles), Chris McGlinchey (Ireland national team), Dylan Newbery (Australia national team), Liam Stones (NFTO), Dexter Gardias (Pedal Heaven), Jeremy Durrin (Neon Velo), Noah Granigan (USA CCB), Daire Feeley (iTap), David Watson (North Down) and Marcus Christie (ASEA-Wheelworx).
Again, nobody posed any threat but the Tirol team of Fankheuser and Madison Genesis set a strong enough to bring it all back together once again.
Eventually, the elastic snapped and it was that man again McCrystal (ASEA-Wheelworx) who went clear alongside the aforementioned Stones (NFTO), Niko Holler (Bike Aid), Raphael Verini (Aix en Provence) and Dexter Gardias (Pedal Heaven).
Going over the first climb of the day the leaders had 50 seconds on the bunch which began to split up on that first major rise.
Holler and McCrystal were having a right tussle for the KOH points but the former was first over the summit to increase his lead in the race for that classification.
McCrystl, to be fair, kept him honest and was next over.
On the line the five leaders had two minutes as the bunch took a momentary breath behind.
The public gathered whenever the raced passed through their town or village on the second last day (Photo: Ryan Byrne - Inpho)
That allowed a number of chasers to squirm free and among them were Jai Hindley (Australia), Josh Edmondson (NFTO), Durrin (Pedal Heaven), Patrick Lechner (Bike Aid), Troels Ronning Vinther (Riwal Platform) and Taco van der Hoorn (Join-S De Rijke).
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But with the latter well up there on GC that five were hauled back.
Eddie Dunbar showed his teeth for the first time on the stage by going off in pursuit of the chasing six but right on his wheel was Fankheuser’s teammate Patrick Bosman and James Gullen (Pedal Heaven).
They caught the six chasers and by that point they were almost 1’30” behind, but riding very well.
Bosman dropped back to assist the chase from there.
At the 100-kilometre park it was eight chasing five but Fankheuser proved his class yet again when he jumped across to the chase group to keep an eye on a number of GC contenders from there.
The chase group continued to swell in numbers when Ronan McLaughlin, Aaron Gate, Philp Lavery, Ian Richardson, Thomas Moses, Harrison Jones (Pedal Heaven), Casper von Folsach (Riwal Platform), Ike Groen, Conor Dunne, Mark Downey and Robert de Greef bridged.
That group worked themselves to within 36 seconds of the leading five while the bunch with the yellow jersey were around 40 seconds further back.
Dunbar, Damien Shaw and Michael Storer (Australia national team) took matters into their own hands by going after the 15 chasers and they had little difficulty in bridging to make it 18 up front – and no yellow jersey.
Holler continued to mop up the KOH points to cement his dominance there while behind, the racing was really on as Fankheuser found himself almost a minute down on Damien Shaw.
That meant the An Post Chain Reaction man was leader on the road, albeit briefly.
Tirol and Madison Genesis were clearly unhappy with that and they drove the pace during what will surely be considered as one of the key moments of the race.
They mopped up the chase group and pulled back the break to within 30 seconds starting the penultimate climb.
Luke Grivell Mellor (JLT Condor Cycles) managed to jump across to the leaders to make it five up front with the gap hovering around the five-minute mark.
Hitting Mount Leinster after 106 kilometres the margin was halved as the effort from the leading six and six days of hard racing already began to tell.
Holler and Grivell-Mellor pushed on, dropping the remaining four and they were soon back in the main bunch which was also losing men at a rate of knots.
Towards the top of the climb that two were mopped up by five riders who were now going clear.
An Post Rás Stage 7 at Newtown on the road from Dungarvan to Baltinglass with plenty of support from the roadside (Photo: Ryan Byrne - Inpho)
In there was the mighty Dunbar, the imperious Fankhauser, Lucas Hamilton and Jai Hindley and Michael Storer (all Australia national team).
That quintet hurtled down the descent with two chasers and Damien Shaw among those giving chase behind.
But the leaders didn’t hang around and they had a minute with less than 30 kilometres to go.
Indeed, with three Australians in the move they were keen to sacrifice themselves as much as possible to ensure the move stayed away.
Hindley was the biggest threat to Fankheuser as he started three seconds back in fourth while Hamilton was 13 seconds down and Dunbar needed just 19.
Inside 10k to go they were still a minute clear, despite some huge pulls by the Madison Genesis, An Post Chain Reaction and Join-S De Rijke teams.
Fankhesuer needed to be alert to any late attacks from Hindley to ensure he wouldn’t lose the lead but it was clear that all five just focussed on the stage win as they came to the line.
Dunbar might not have been the most fancied to win a sprint, given his diminutive stature but he proved them all wrong with an outrageous kick.
He had well over a bike length on Hindley with Fankheuser taking third, thus ensuring he will wear yellow into tomorrow’s final stage.
The bunch were led in some 52 seconds further back and it means Dunbar moves up to fourth overall, while Damien Shaw slips to fifth.
Dunbar is still in need of 19 seconds to take the overall win while Shaw needs 58.
Hindley had some consolation as he retained the U23 jersey while Holler wears the mountains jersey – and will not lose it now.
Ian Richardson is still in charge of the best county rider classification while Aaron Gate leads the points classification.
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