Eddie Dunbar at the front of the peloton on the final climb just behind the Ag2r-La Mondiale WorldTour squad keeping the pressure on for eventual winner Romain Bardet (Photo: Elise Chauveua)
Romain Bardet wins Classic de l'Ardèche Rhône Crussol
Eddie Dunbar has finished his first pro race against WorldTour riders with Aqua Blue Sport.
The 21-year-old did well to come through the 200km Classic de l'Ardèche Rhône Crussol in France.
A UCI 1.1-ranked event, it was won by Romain Bardet (Ag2r-La Mondiale) with a fine solo effort.
On a cold day for racing, and held over an undulating course, Dunbar was 78th of the 110 finishers, with another 40 men abandoning.
And though Dunbar is new to racing at this level, and had a long lay-off last year, he played his part for the team.
He was one of the strongest in the line-up as the real racing started with about 25km remaining.
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And with the aid of Calvin Watson and Michel Kreder the young Irishman helped position Larry Warbasse on the final climb.
That was where the race was decided, Bardet’s acceleration shredding the field. Warbasse was just seconds behind the group chasing Bardet over the top of the climb but could not make the juncture.
As a result, the US champion had to settle for 34th on the day at 3:23. Dunbar finished in a large group some 8:36 down.
Having finished on the podium of the Tour de France for the last two years, nobody could live with Bardet.
Eddie Dunbar returned to racing two weeks ago, following a bad crash last June. He rode the Trofeo Laigueglia in Italy and was in a group stopped from starting the final loop of the finishing circuit.
He said he was disappointed not to finish, adding his legs were not good in the last hour of racing.
However, on the basis of his ride today it appears he is very much going in the right direction.
Getting a full race in today was a not insignificant milestone, especially following his concussion issues last year.
The racing took place just south of Lyon today. And though over 4,000 metres of climbing awaited, it didn’t deter an early breakaway.
That move consisted of Lucas De Rossi (Delko Marseille), Adam de Vos (Rally Cycling), Jerome Mainard (Roubaix Lille Métropole), Yohann Paillot (St Michel - Auber93) and Simone Sterbini (Bardiani).
In freezing conditions they pulled out a lead of 10 minutes in the opening quarter of the race. But with such a long way to go, the peloton never panicked.
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Bardet’s team was clearly confident in his abilities from the gun. It did the lion’s share of the work in controlling the gap.
Moreover, as the business end of the race approached the Ag2r-La Mondiale men were also instrumental in closing the gap right down.
With 25k to go the breakaway was finally swept up. And within minutes Romain Bardet had struck with clinical precision.
??@romainbardet of ??@AG2RLMCyclisme wins @boucles_classic ??Faun Environnement-Classic de l'Ardèche Rhône Crussol #BDA2018 pic.twitter.com/3egZjnevCg
— World Cycling Stats (@wcstats) February 24, 2018
He surged clear and was never caught; soloing to a great win. Behind him, even the rest of the strongmen were scattered all over the road.
And while a group of 30 to 40 would initially form behind Bardet, Warbasse missed that boat.
Bardet put his head down out front and had a gap of almost a minute on the chasers. Such was the pressure in his wake that the large chasing group split.
At the finish Bardet would have plenty of time to savour his first win of the season.
Maximilian Schachmann (Quick-Step) finished 47 seconds back on his own for 2nd place. And nine seconds later Lilian Calmejane (Direct Energie) brought home a six-man group to round out the podium.
Warbasse paid tribute to his young Irish team mate, saying he had helped him when it counted most.
“It was a hard day out there today with 200 kilometres and 4000 metres of climbing,” said the US national champion.
“Every year these races are definitely some of the hardest of the season even if they are maybe not the most hyped races.
“AG2R set a pretty fierce tempo almost all day. And the team actually did an awesome job setting me up for the final climb.
“We followed the plan pretty much to a T. I started the final climb in fourth wheel. And I really couldn’t have been in a better position.
Aqua Blue Sport team effort
Warbasse continued: “Calvin took really good care of me all day and then Michel and Eddie took me right to the front for the last climb.
“Unfortunately I just missed the front group over the top. I was 10 seconds back on the top of the climb. And wasn’t able to close the gap which was a bit of a shame.
“It’s still early in the season and I think tomorrow will be even better for us so we are looking forward to it.”
The team rides the 206km Royal Bernard Drome Classic; the sister race to today’s contest.
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