Eddie Dunbar (Team Jayco AlUla) has posted a solid, if unspectacular, time on the longest TT stage of the Giro d'Italia to keep his general classification hopes alive. While he has moved lower a little in the general classification, the Irishman has avoided the kind of time loss that would change the complexion of his race.
That is important, especially after today's TT, as it was the longest of the three races against the clock in this year's edition, at 35km. That kind of distance is really suited to the specialists and presents real dangers to a rider like Dunbar, a specialist climber not particularly at ease on a TT bike.
He finished 22nd today, some 1:30 down on stage winner Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep), who went back into the race leader's pink jersey today after his efforts on the stage between Savignano sul Rubicone and Cesena.
Advertisement
Dunbar, as expected, lost time to the majority of his rivals today, though limited his losses to most of them to under one minute. Over a distance of 35km, on a flat course, that is a decent ride that saw him drop one place to 12th overall. He is now 3:17 down on race leader Evenepoel.
While the Irish rider, leading a team in a Grand Tour of the first time, is now 2:10 off a place in the top 6 overall, those riders who fill places 7th to 10th - which are realistically the final positions he is in contention for - are all within 1:30 of him. Indeed, Pavel Sivakov (Ineos Grenadiers) in 10th is just seven seconds up on the Irishman.
Related News
There are still a small number of riders ahead of him overall who are expected to slip down the top 10 as the race progresses, either due to team duties or the fact they are unlikely to finish a Grand Tour in such a high general classification position. Andreas Leknessund (Team DSM), for example, lost the race lead today and is now expected to drift down the standings.
Sivakov will be likely be called on to work for Geraint Thomas and Tao Geoghegan Hart; those two Ineos Grenadiers men now squarely in contention after 2nd and 4th today. And while Lennard Kämna (Bora-hansgrohe) is still 9th overall, and is capable of finishing in the top 10, he will likely have to give up his chance to work for team mate Aleksandr Vlasov.
Today, Irish TT champion Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) placed 42nd at 2:57. He was under no pressure today after his heroic stage victory yesterday. While Evenepoel won the TT, by less than one second from Thomas, his performance today was nowhere near his decimation of the field in the opening TT last weekend.
That performance today - on a stage where he was expected to gain significant time - comes just 24 hours after being distanced by some of his rivals in the finale of stage 8. And though he won today, and now leads the race again, the momentum has ebbed away from him.
Now riders like Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma), who was 6th today at just 17 seconds, as well as Thomas and Geoghegan Hart look like they can put it up to Evenepoel and possibly beat him over the next two weeks. The riders have a chance to recover on tomorrow's rest day before the race resumes on Tuesday with 196km from Scandiano to Viareggio, which may suit the sprinters.
