Eddie Dunbar (Team Jayco AlUla) has passed the first climbing test at Giro d'Italia 2023, finishing in the top 10 today and also now closing in on the top 10 overall. Though the final climb was not a major one today, the favourites' group was small, with Dunbar looking very comfortable in it.
While the Irish climber is riding for GC on this year's race, compatriot Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) is primarily aiming for a stage win and he tried repeatedly in the opening half of today's stage. The 22-year-old Grand Tour debutant not only made repeated attacks but was also often the rider on the front of the moves trying to drag them clear.
However, when the breakaway of the day finally broke clear, Healy was not in that group. That was a disappointing outcome for him on a day when he would have had the chance at the stage win - and possibly taking the race lead - on the 175km stage 4 from Venosa to Lago Laceno.
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The start of the stage was so aggressive - with a blizzard of attacks - that the winning breakaway did not get clear until almost 100km had been raced. It slipped away on a descent and included: Toms Skujiņš, Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier (both Trek-Segafredo), Nicola Conci (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Andreas Leknessund (Team DSM), Aurélien Paret-Peintre (AG2R Citroën), Vincenzo Albanese (Eolo-Kometa) and Warren Barguil (Arkéa-Samsic).
With race leader Remco Evenepoel's Soudal-QuickStep team having chased down many of the earlier attacks, it was content to let the breakaway go clear as it contained no GC threats. The result was the breakaway opening a big gap and with 25km to go they still had 4:30 in hand.
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When the leaders began the final climb - the 9.6km Colle Molella up to Lago Laceno, followed by a flat 3km to the finish - the breakaway soon began to fall apart. Andreas Leknessund (Team DSM) and Aurélien Paret-Peintre (AG2R Citroën) dropped the others, going to the line for a two-up sprint to decide stage honours.
While a delighted Paret-Peintre took the stage victory, Leknessund secured the maglia rosa as the large select group containing Evenepoel finished at 2:01. That group was down to just 25 riders, with Dunbar present. He contested the sprint from the group, placing 3rd in it for 9th on the stage. For his part, Healy paid for his early efforts and lost contact with the group on the final climb.
Healy eventually finished in 78th at 11:53 and has now lost so much time he will have plenty of leeway to go in the breakaways in the days ahead, which is his main objective. Dunbar has moved up five places to 14th overall, some 2:15 down on new race leader, the 23-year-old Norwegian Leknessund. Healy is now 57th overall at 12:27.
Leknessund now leads overall by 28 seconds from Evenepoel and he also holds the white young riders' jersey. That means Evenepoel is now spared any podium duties after the stages, ensuring more recovery time, which he may need considering how shaky his team has looked on the climbs.
Tomorrow's stage 5 is 171km from Atripalda to Salerno and may suit the sprinters, though the main field could be trimmed back a little, depending on how the stage is raced.
