Rory Townsend has enjoyed a great start to the Tour of Britain though his breakaway companion Conor Dunne was not so fortunate.
While both were in the escape group yesterday and Townsend made the most of his chance, Dunne was the victim of team orders.
The former Irish champion was asked by Israel Cycling Academy management to sit up from the breakaway to aid team sprinter Davide Cimolai.
As the breakaway was never given significant leeway by the peloton, the team rightly believed the move would not make it to the finish and so Dunne had to surrender his place out front.
In the end Cimolai took 2nd place on the stage to winner, and now first race leader of Tour of Britain 2019, Dylan Groenewegen (Jumbo-Visma).
The Dutch sprinter has a three-second lead over Ireland's Townsend as the Canyon dhb p/b Bloor Homes rider picked up time bonuses while in the breakaway.
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Indeed, he is not only 2nd overall after the 201.5km stage from Glasgow to Kirkcudbright, he also holds the sprints jersey and was voted most aggressive rider.
The 24-year-old, who rode the Europeans on the Irish team in Holland last month, at one point wished his father a happy birthday from the breakaway via the TV cameras, video below.
As
well as Irish riders Dunne and Townsend up the road, the breakaway also
featured Jacob Scott (Swift Carbon), Dries de Bondt (Corendon-Circus),
James Fouché (Team Wiggins Le Col) and Gediminas Bagdonas (AG2R).
However, both Dunne and Bagdonas went
back to the peloton when the breakaway was not allowed the kind of leeway that
gave it even a fighting chance of making it all the way.
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And while the remaining escapees worked well together and fought it out for the climbing and sprints points on offer, the last of them was caught with about 7km to go.
All three Irish riders in the race
finished in the bunch; Dunne, Townsend and Eddie Dunbar, who is celebrating the
extension by three years of his contract with Team Ineos.
Tomorrow’s stage 2 starts and finishes in Kelso and while there are two cat 2 climbs on the 165.9km route, it may well prove another day for a sprint.
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