Eddie Dunbar (Team Jayco AlUla) has finished 7th overall at Giro d'Italia, but only after a late scare on the streets of Rome during today's final stage. The Irishman could be seen off the back of the bunch, in the cavalcade, trying to correct a problem with his gears or chain.
The speed was really ramping up at the time, with just over 12km to go, and it was not the time to be forced into a bike change. Thankfully, Dunbar managed to correct the problem on the move and immediately set about chasing his way back on.
His job was made easier by the fact he was in the cars, and with team mate Alessandro De Marchi also waiting for him to ensure he got back on. Once the two riders rejoined the back of the main field, De Marchi then began moving Dunbar back up through the peloton in a bid to keep him out of trouble.
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In the end, Dunbar finished in 15th place on what was a sprinters' stage, clearly intent on not finding himself on the wrong side of any small split in the field and losing the one second that Andreas Leknessund (Team DSM) needed to leapfrog over the Irishman into 7th place.
The other Irish rider in the race, Ben Healy (EF Education EasyPost) drifted off the back of the peloton with just over 4km remaining and rode the last minutes of his debut Grand Tour with his close friend Thomas Gloag (Jumbo-Visma) for company; the duo placing 109thand 110th at 2:01.
Healy had an amazing Giro, claiming a spectacular victory on stage 8 into Fossombrone, when he went in the breakaway on the 207km stage before attacking on a climb with 51km to go. He rode the remainder of the stage solo and won by 1:49 from Derek Gee (Israel Premier Tech), who proved best of the rest in the breakaway.
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Healy also lit up the race with other attacks and went close to winning stage 15 into Bergamo, where he was just beaten by Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates), who he had dropped on the last climb of the day only for the American to get back on terms with him. Healy also held the mountains classification jersey and might have overcome Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) to won that jersey but for running out of steam a little in the final week.
However, it was an incredible race for the 22-year-old, who emerged as one of the real stars of the Giro after a sensational spring campaign this year.
For Dunbar, a rider who has for years wanted to do a general classification ride in a Grand Tour, it was a case of 'job done'. He may have slipped a couple of places - from 4th to 7th - on stages 19 and 20 but he has proven his Grand Tour credentials.
He climbed with the best riders in the race on some of the hardest stages, his 4th place to Monte Bondone on stage 16 perhaps his stand out ride. He finished alongside eventual overall winner Primož Roglič (Jumbo Visma) and dropped everyone else in the race but for stage winner João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) and runner-up Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers), who were 25 seconds ahead.
For Dunbar, the slight fading in his endurance in yesterday's stage 20 mountain TT and Friday's stage 19 brutal summit finish to Tre Cime di Lavaredo will hopefully be overcome now that he has a Grand Tour in his legs. The last three weeks will have helped build his engine and means he is finally getting his fair crack of the whip after Team Sky/Ineos Grenadiers only picked him for one Grand Tour in four seasons with the team.
The really interesting thing to watch will be Dunbar's progress through the remainder of the season. He faces those races - with Tour de Pologne and La Vuelta as targets - a different athlete. Not only does he have a hard Grand Tour in his legs, but he knows now he can compete with the very best on the hardest days in the mountains, which puts him in a very elite category going forward.
