Eddie Dunbar (Team Jayco AlUla) was strong in the finale of the shortened stage 13 to Crans Montana at Giro d'Italia today, attacking in the last kilometre in a bid to snatch some seconds. One of his rivals for the top 10, Hugh Carthy (EF Education-EasyPost), was also just up the road, with the Irishman ensuring his gains were kept to a minimum.
However, while Dunbar surged clear of the general classification group, he was reeled in by it on the line. Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) hit the front and dieseled his way up to the Irish rider's back wheel, in a huge gear, right on the line. João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) then won the sprint from that group for 7th.
Dunbar was 8th - his third top 10 placing since the race began - with Thomas 9th and the main dangerman, Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) taking 10th. The good news today for Dunbar was the select group he finished in numbered just seven riders and it is they who now look the strongest men in the race.
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If it continues this way, Ireland's Dunbar will finish well inside the top 10. There is still a chance other riders in the five or six places behind him overall could have a storming final week and come into contention, especially if they made gains in a breakaway. But it's a case of so far so good for Dunbar, who would have given his right arm when the race started two weeks ago to be in this position after stage 13.
Today's stage was shortened to just 74.6km, starting a Le Châble, which was well beyond the halfway point of the original stage route. The change was made due to torrential rain earlier today while the original first climb of the day, the Col du Grand Saint-Bernard, had already been scrapped from the route midweek because of snow.
As a result of the stage starting so far down the original route, the riders faced the 15km climb of Col de la Croix-de-Cœur from the start today. Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) was very active off the front, attacking and trying to tow a group away that contained his team's general classification leader, Hugh Carthy.
However, they were caught by the Ineos Grenadiers-led peloton and it was the next attack that proved successful, with five riders from that move making it all the way to the finish line at the top of Crans-Montana, where three of them fought it out for victory.
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Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) was one of them and though he attacked again and again on the final climb up to the finish, he could not drop the two riders who stayed with him; Einer Augusto Rubio (Movistar Team) and Jefferson Alexander Cepeda (EF Education-EasyPost).
While Pinot put in multiple digs and Cepeda also put in some strong attacks, Rubio played the game; drafting the other two as they closed each other down and argued amongst themself. But then Rubio proved by far the strongest on the tough uphill finish.
Rubio took the victory by six seconds from Pinot, with Cepeda 3rd at 12 seconds. Two other riders from the breakaway also hung on for the minor placings; Derek Gee (Israel Premier Tech) in 4th at 1:01 and Valentin Paret-Peintre (AG2R Citroën Team) 5th at 1:29.
Behind those breakaway men, the pace was maintained in the reduced peloton - which was trimmed back to a small select group by the finish - as Ineos Grendiers rode on the front. Hugh Carthy (EF Education-EasyPost) attacked that group with 5.5km to go and finished 6 seconds ahead of the select group in 6th place.
Dunbar put in a strong dig from that group in the final kilometre and pulled clear, looking to gain time on those behind him and also close up to Carthy. However, while he got close to Carthy, Thomas hit the front of the group behind and powered his way up to Dunbar by the finish.
Thomas kept the race lead on a day when the shortened stage denied us what could have been a much more significant day's racing. However, Dunbar remains in 7th and is looking strong on this race, with his 'project top 10 on GC' very much alive, and some, with eight stages remaining.
