Eddie Dunbar (Team Jayco AlUla) has come through the opening first stage of Giro d'Italia, avoiding any slip-ups on the first of two stages that always looked like catching out some of the general classification riders.
Though Ireland's Dunbar took a conservative approach today, opting to follow rather than joining the late attacks off the front, he did exactly what he needed to. And some of the time losses suffered by other riders also suited him down to the ground.
The Irish climber finished in what remained of the peloton - numbering just 18 riders - as UAE Team Emirates and its leader, Tadej Pogačar, made life very difficult for everyone on the final 25km.
And when the dust had settled at the finish in Turin, some pecking order issues had been settled in Dunbar's team and some time had been gained by the Irishman a couple of his potential general classification rivals.
Advertisement
Much of the damage was done by UAE Team Emirates on Colle Maddalena, crested 21km from the finish of the 140km stage. And once the main field was shredded on that climb, and the last of the breakaway men brought under control, Pogačar surged forward several times on the final climb towards the finish line.
Related News
☀️ Under the Italian sun, 6 riders decided to be a part of the first breakaway of this #GirodItalia
?However, it all kicked off in the final hill, with a certain Slovenian. But on the line in Torino, the competition would not give up.
? The @EatalyIT highlights of Stage 1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/gKI3XoKhfh
— Giro d'Italia (@giroditalia) May 4, 2024
However, the Slovenian did not look to have his usual horsepower. And though he distance everyone in the race bar two riders, Max Schachmann (Bora-hansgrohe) and Jhonatan Narváez (Ineos Grenadiers) were able to move with him.
At the finish, Narváez proved too strong for Pogačar, who was even pipped for 2nd place by a fast-finishing Schachmann. The group Dunbar was in was just 10 seconds back and contained most of the other favourites.
However, among those dropped in the final were possible top 10 GC men Nairo Quintana (Movistar Team) and Romain Bardet (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL), both 57 seconds down. Dunbar's team mate Luke Plapp was also in the same group, and putting to rest any idea he may do a general classification ride, simplifying Dunbar's approach to the race.
Another potential GC rider, Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers), who went out the back early on the Maddalena and lost 2:17 to the leaders by the finish. In the end, though Dunbar's gains were perhaps not significant, he avoided the stage 1 meltdown that they suffered.
Tomorrow will be another when big GC gaps could appear as the 161km stage from San Francesco al Campo to Santuario di Oropa finishes on a cat 1 climb of 11.8km, with an average gradient of 6.1 per cent where Pogačar will be looking to make up for today's loss.
