Eddie Dunbar's big GC chance blown off course in Saudi echelons | Video

Eddie Dunbar - No 21 - can be seen here at the front, in the centre, of the third group in the shot as the crosswinds split the field on the second day of racing at AlUla Tour (Photo: Charly López)

Ireland's Dillon Corkery (Picnic PostNL) and young Liam O'Brien (Lidl Trek) both expertly negotiated the crosswinds on stage 2 at AlUla Tour today to make the front group. But general classification hope Eddie Dunbar (Pinarello Q36.5) lost out.

Dunbar got stuck, initially in the third group on the road, when the echelons formed as the win, and the pace at the very front, did the damage.

And when the dust had settled at the finish, after 152km of racing, he finished in a group that was 7:16 down on the 50-strong front group that fought it out for victory.

That's a hammer blow for Dunbar, who is one of the best climbers in the race and looked like one of only four or five riders in this field capable of winning the race outright.

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At one point, he was in the third group on the road, but got back to the front only to puncture. And in windy conditions, on such exposed roads, a second chase after such bad luck was always going to be impossible.

Liam O'Brien, far right, with his Lidl Trek team mates as they celebrate another stage win for Jonathan Milan (Photo: Charly López)

However, Dunbar may now get the freedom to target a stage win, as earlier as tomorrow’s uphill finish, at Bir Jaydah Mountain Wirkah. The stage finishes atop a 4.9km ascent, averaging five per cent gradient.

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Today's stage was won by race leader, and stage 1 winner, Jonathan Milan (Lidl Trek), from Daniel Skerl (Bahrain-Victorious) and Pascal Ackermann (Team Jayco AlUla).

Corkery appears to be seamlessly coping with this level of racing. That is perhaps no surprise considering his power and experience, even though this is his first season as a World Tour rider. He was 30th today, on the same time as the winner.

O'Brien, who has been called up from the Lidl Trek U23 team to ride for the World Tour squad this week, was just tailed off the back of the front group in the final kilometre, having ridden out of his socks today. He was just 33 seconds in 56th place.

Seth Dunwoody, called up from the U23 Bahrain Victorious team to ride for the World Tour squad this week, is also on team duties in Saudi. And on a day when his team mate took 2nd place, the 19-year-old finished in 86th. He was in the same group as Dunbar and Jamie Meehan (Cofidis), all at 7:16.

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