Eddie Dunbar has gotten his new season off to a start, performing team duties on the opening stage of Etoile de Bessèges in France. The 25-year-old Irishman lost time on a day when the field split to pieces.
The 160km stage, starting and finishing in Bellegarde, featured a couple of very short climbs, including at the finish, but it was the crosswinds on the flat sections that did the damage today.
When those winds hit the field with about 75km to go, Ineos Grenadiers, Arkéa-Samsic and Total Energies rode hard on the front and the peloton soon split, with no regrouping taking place as the front group was so committed.
While Dunbar had team mates Filippo Ganna and Richard Carapaz in the 17-man front group that rode away from the rest of the field, the Irishman was back the road. He eventually finished in 111th in a group 9:36 down.
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Up ahead, former world champion Mads Pedersen (Trek Segafredo) proved strongest on the power climb to the finish and won the stage. While Chris Lawless (Total Energies) went for a flier from a long way out in the sprint, Pedersen got onto him and then left him for dust to take the victory.
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He crossed the line one second ahead of a four-man group; Hugo Hofstetter (Arkea-Samsic) taking 2nd, Edvald Boasson-Hagen (TotalEnergies) 3rd, Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost) 4th and Mathieu Burgaudeau (TotalEnergies) in 5th.
Lawless was 6th at four seconds before Ganna was 7th at seven seconds; the world TT champion looking very strong in the crosswinds. The lead group of 17 broke up and was covered by 32 seconds from first to last man on the line. The remains of the peloton was 41 seconds back.
