Eddie Dunbar looks like he is really stepping up to the plate at the Volta ao Alentejo in Portugal after four superb rides so far this week. He is now fifth at 27 seconds going into the final day tomorrow as well as second in the young rider classification.
By Brian Canty
Eddie Dunbar went agonisingly close to a stage win on the penultimate day of the Volta ao Alentejo (2.1) in Portugal today but had to settle for fourth at the end of a chaotic day that saw a huge crash two kilometres from the finish.
The 20-year old Axeon Hagens Berman rider avoided the chaos and got up for the sprint that decided today’s stage.
As well as having eyes on the victory he also took aim at the white jersey for leader of the young rider classification.
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He took the latter on Thursday but lost it yesterday to Dutchman Jasper de Laat who finished ninth and collected valuable time bonuses to edge Dunbar off top spot.
And with time bonuses on the line again today, Dunbar knew he could take the jersey back from De Laat if he took a high stage placing.
He certainly managed that but one place ahead of him at the finish was the flying Dutchman De Laat in third, clearly intent on preserving his lead going into the final day tomorrow.
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It is still a hugely promising performance by Dunbar who is climbing exceptionally well this week, is managing to sniff out the right breaks and now he is showing no fear of contesting sprints.
His consolation prize for finishing fourth today was that his teammate Logan Owan took the victory for the team and that is one place better than the second place Christopher Lawless managed yesterday.
The team rode superbly again today and placed four riders in the top 12, with rising American star Adrian Costa inside the top 10 as well.
Dunbar is still sixth overall at 27 seconds with Spaniard Carlos Barbero (Movistar) preserving his lead at the top of the GC.
Today’s stage winner Owan is just two seconds behind Dunbar in ninth overall.
Axeon Hagens Berman lead the team classification by 32 seconds from Colombian Pro Conti outfit Manzana Postobon.
Tomorrow’s stage could be a real firecracker with 168 undulating kilometres to contend with.
The latter half of the race is certainly not easy with a couple of climbs and it looks very good for a late breakaway with a difficult section between kilometres 120-150 followed by a mostly downhill run to the finish.
The other Irish riders today in the race, Sean McKenna and Conor Hennebry (both An Post Chain Reaction), were caught up in the crash but not believed to be hurt.
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