Irish riders move up GC, Dunbar makes select group in Romandie | Video

Archie Ryan was on the attack at Tour de Romandie, where he and compatriots Darren Rafferty and Eddie Dunbar moved up the general classification (Photo: Luis Angel Gomez-SCA-Cor Vos)

Eddie Dunbar (Team Jayco AlUla) has made a move up the general classification at Tour de Romandie after a day when the race split and the Irish rider made the select group that was left to chase a breakaway into La Grande Béroche.

As Dunbar finished in the top 10 on the stage - his first solid result since a crash at Tirreno-Adriatico (2.UWT) in March - the Irish EF Education-EasyPost duo of Darren Rafferty and Archie Ryan also moved higher in the overall standings.

Indeed, Ryan was active off the front of the bunch in the early stages yesterday, seeking to get up the road early and using the day's first climb as a springboard for his efforts in the 157km day out.

Ryan's efforts - in that early phase of the race featuring the Col de la Tourne and the Mauborget climb immediately after - were closed down, with a breakaway then going in the counter attack. But it was good to see the Irishman jumping around with confidence in a World Tour race.

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With a long-term breakaway later caught, the decisive move of the day did not come until the race dipped inside the 30km to go marker. And when that move rode clear, there were some strong riders in there.

The group included: Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost), Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana), Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto), Junior Lecerf (Soudal Quick-Step) and Juan Pedro López (Lidl-Trek).

They had a minute in hand going into the final kilometre when Fortunato almost fell off the front of the group as his rivals watched each other; the Italian then really going for it when he realised he had a gap, and holding on to win.

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He claimed the victory by two seconds ahead of the others, who were led in by Baudin, the new race leader - ensuring Rafferty and Ryan will likely now be on team duties in an effort to keep the yellow jersey within the team.

Behind the lone leader and other breakaway men, the main field split a little, with 13 riders finishing 56 seconds down - Eddie Dunbar among them, and taking 10th on the stage. A large bunch - containing Rafferty and Ryan - reached the line 19 seconds later.

Dunbar is now up to 13th overall, some 1:02 down on new race leader Baudin, though there are still some very heavy hitters ahead of the Irishman. Remco Evenepoel (Soudal QuickStep), for example, led in Dunbar's group yesterday for 6th on the stage and he is now 6th overall at 52 seconds.

Rafferty is up ten places to 28th overall, at 1:22, with Ryan moving up to 36th at 1:25 ahead of today's stage; some 183km with an incline to the line in Cossonay.

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