Ireland’s rising star for so long yet still aged just 22 years, Eddie Dunbar has taken 3rd place on stage 12 at Giro d’Italia today
The Team Ineos rider was sprinting for the win after 158km
from Cuneo to Pinerolo; a great ride by him on a day when
the race hit its first mountains.
Dunbar is also riding his first full season at
WorldTour level and is in his first Grand Tour; a late addition to the Team
Ineos line-up.
Today both he and Conor Dunne (Israel Cycling Academy) got
clear in a large 25-rider breakaway that gained over 15 minutes at one point.
But when the race went up the 9km cat 1 Montoso climb the
escape blew apart, with Eddie Dunbar immediately looking one of the strongest
in the group.
Advertisement
The escape group eventually came down to just eight riders as the finish neared, having at one point been just six.
And when they reached the short sharp climb at San Maurizo
with less than 3km to go, Gianluca Brambilla (Trek-Segafredo) and Eros Capecchi
(Deceuninck-QuickStep) attacked.
Dunbar was boxed in a little and saw a gap open, but he
attacked those he was with and got across to the two leaders on the descent.
However, just as it looked like the stage was between that
trio, Damiano Caruso (Bahrain-Merida) and Cesare Benedetti (Bora-hansgrohe) got
across to them to make it five up front.
In the final dash to the line, it was Benedetti who claimed it from Caruso, with Eddie Dunbar in 3rd.
One of the breakaway men, Jan Polanc gained enough time to take the race lead from UAE Team Emirates team mate Valerio Conti.
How the stage unfolded
Related News
When the breakaway moved onto the Montoso climb, which began
with just over 40km to go, it was whittled down to seven very quickly and with
just 37km remaining, Dunbar decided to attack.
He moved clear on his own; Jan Polanc (UAE Team Emirates) trying to go with him but then backing off.
However, the Irishman was then joined by Eros Capecchi
(Deceuninck-QuickStep); pulling out a gap as the peloton was still 12 minutes
back.
After a short period off the front of the now reduced escape,
Dunbar and Capecchi went back to the group.
In there with them were: Gianluca Brambilla (Trek-Segafredo), Jan Polanc (UAE Team Emirates), Dario Cataldo (Astana), Cesare Benedetti (Bora-hansgrohe) and Damiano Caruso (Bahrain-Merida).
As the peloton behind them moved onto the climb, the gap
between it and Dunbar’s group was impressively remaining at about 11½ minutes.
And while Astana then pressed the pace in the peloton and
quickly thinned out the group; the breakaway’s gap was still 11 minutes.
By the time the leaders went over the top of the climb, they
numbered just four; Dunbar, Brambilla, Caruso and Cataldo. However, Polanc, Benedetti
and Capecchi regained contact with them.
And while Conor Dunne laboured more than some of the others
on the large climb of the day, he continued to ride all the way to the line and
was not caught by the favourites group; a great showing by him also.
More to come.
Topics
