Once again, when the UK's strongest pros hit the afterburners Irish teenager Eddie Dunbar, leading, was with them driving it forward (Photo: VeloUK.net)
Having finished 5th in the opening round of the British Cycling Elite Road Series last weekend when he animated the action, Eddie Dunbar has once again shown he is one of the form riders on the UK pro scene at present.
The Irish teenager was in action today on the opening stage of the Tour of the Reservoir, proving one of only three riders able to get across to the winning breakaway.
A mechanical late in the day on the top of the final climb robbed him of the gas he would have needed to put in the effort required to win the stage.
However, he would finish 6th in the quality field ahead of tomorrow’s hilly stage 2.
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The 138 rider peloton took in eight laps of a circuit near Derwent Reservoir, Northumberland.
With a little less than an hour’s racing done a group of seven pulled clear in the crosswinds.
In that escape were: George Harper (One Pro Cycling), James Lowsley-Williams (NFTO), Steve Lampier (Raleigh GAC), David McGowan (Pedal Heaven), Russell Hampton (Polypipe), Andy Tennant (Team Wiggins) and Erick Rowsell (Madison Genesis).
On the attack out front up the final climb more 100 miles into the first British Cycling Elite Road Series of the year last weekend; the 115 mile Chorley Grand Prix in Lancashire (Photo: VeloUK.net)
There was plenty of attacking behind after them, with a large group of 21 chasers going clear in pursuit of the leaders.
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After around 40 miles the gap between breakaway and chase group was one minute. The bunch, was a further 1:30 back.
However, a number of groups – one containing Dunbar - got clear of it and merged with the original 21-man second group on the road, to swell its numbers to around 50 riders.
The work rate diminished as the numbers grew and it was then that Dunbar took flight with the series winner from last year Yanto Barker (One Pro Cycling) and former An Post-Chainreaction man and Tour of Britain mountains jersey winner Mark McNally of Madison Genesis.
They caught the breakaway very quickly and after 70 miles the 10 leaders had four minutes over the chasers.
Dunbar’s mechanical meant he lost touch as Rowsell came off best of the attacking in the escape to time trial to victory on his own.
He won by 31 seconds from Lampier, with McNally 3rd on the same time. A further two seconds back came Harper in 4th and Andy Tennant 5th, with Dunbar 6th just two further seconds down and 35 seconds off the winner.
He is still well placed to try for overall victory tomorrow ahead of departing for Europe to join the Irish U23 team that rides the Nations Cup race, La Cote Picardie, in France on Wednesday.
Tour of Reservoir, Stage 1
1 Erick Rowsell Madison Genesis 4-34-48
2 Steve Lampier Raleigh GAC at 31sec
3 Mark McNally Madison Genesis st
4 George Harper One Pro Cycling at 33sec
5 Andrew Tennant Team Wiggins st
6 Eddie Dunbar NFTO at 35sec
7 Yanto Barker One Pro Cycling at 40sec
8 Karol Domagalski Raleigh GAC at 57sec
9 Marcin Bialoblocki One Pro Cycling st
10 Ian Bibby NFTO at 1-02
11 Thomas Stewart Madison Genesis
12 Josh Hunt One Pro Cycling all st
13 Harry Tanfield JLT Condor at 1-05
14 Mike Northey Madison Genesis at 1-06
15 Mark Christian Team Wiggins st
16 Robert Partridge NFTO at 1-10
17 George Wood Richardsons-Trek RT st
18 Peter Williams One Pro Cycling at 1-14
19 Richard Handley JLT Condor st
20 Kristian House JLT Condor at 1-17
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