Eddie Dunbar (Team Jayco AlUla) may have faced into a pan flat opening TT at Tirreno Adriatico - not suited to a pure climber - but the Irishman has put in arguably the best ride of his pro career against the watch into Lido di Camaiore.
On an 11.5km route, best suited to the bigger and more powerful men in the field, Dunbar put time into most of his general classification rivals. He looks like he is in rare form for the hard week ahead.
Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) is also in the race and was one of a number of riders lining out today less than 48 hours after finishing Strade Bianche, where he was 4th. Healy managed 20th place today, some 48 seconds down on powerhouse winner Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers).
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Dunbar can be very happy with his ride, having finished 13th, some 44 seconds down on the flying Ganna - who averaged 56.174kmph. And though some of those who may climb as well as Dunbar this week were ahead of him in the TT, most of the GC men were behind, some by a long way.
Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain-Victorious) put 15 seconds into Dunbar while Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech) and Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) beat the Irishman by 10 seconds and six seconds respectively.
However, Simon Yates (Visma-Lease A Bike), Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek), Jai Hindley (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), and Mikel Landa (Soudal-QuickStep) were between 11 and 19 seconds down on the Cork rider. Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) was 25 seconds off the Irishman.
? A man on a mission. There was no one today that could have stopped Pippo
? Un uomo in missione. Oggi nessuno avrebbe potuto fermare Pippo.
⏪ Relive the @continentaltire ultimo KM ?#TirrenoAdriatico @CA_Ita pic.twitter.com/HSGU75nlf7— Tirreno Adriatico (@TirrenAdriatico) March 10, 2025
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Dunbar won the national TT title in Limerick last summer, as he was just starting his racing comeback from crash injury, and is also a former junior national TT champion. However, in pro stage races, the race against the clock - unless it includes some climbs - does not suit the two-time Vuelta stage winner.
The TT is normally an exercise in damage limitation for Dunbar. But today he rode out of his skin, especially as the course was completely flat, with not even a ripple in the terrain that might suit the climbers.
And on the basis of his performance today - on the first of seven stages in his fist World Tour stage race of the year - Dunbar's condition looks like it has further improved since last month's AlUla Tour. There, he climbed well, though perhaps slightly below expectations, to take two 5th places on the uphill finishes.
As well as Healy and Dunbar - both stage win contenders and GC riders this week - Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) is also in the field. He placed 143rd, some 1:48 down, but will be untroubled by that as he is in Italy this week to sprint, rather than ride for GC.
With two stage wins already in the bag this season from Tour de la Provence, Bennett is hunting more success this week. He faces the likes of Jonathan Milan (Lidl Trek) - 5th today - Olav Kooij (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Pascal Ackermann (Israel-Premier Tech) and Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step).
However, though those riders will be hard to beat, a win in that company would absolutely confirm Bennett had returned to the top of his, or close to it, meaning there is a lot at stake, especially in a contract year.
The race continues tomorrow with the 192km stage 2 from Camaiore to Follonica, where the sprinters are likely to get a shot at battling it out for victory. The 239km stage 3 on Wednesday finishes on the top of the Colfiorito HC climb, which is long a steady rather than brutally steep.
