Video: Flying Eddie Dunbar takes superb climbing result in France

Eddie Dunbar covered the attacks, climbed with the very best and was the last man standing for Team Sky in the breakaway of just nine riders at the finish line. Above, Dunbar is first rider with race leader and team mate Ganna third in line during the early point of today's stage (Photos by Kim Caritoux)

Irish pro cyclist Eddie Dunbar has put in a storming ride in his first road race of the 2019 season for Team Sky.

The 22-year-old was among a nine-man group that sprinted it out for victory on stage 2 of Tour de la Provence (2.1).

At the end of the 191.6km stage from Istres to La Ciotat, it was Eduard Prades (Movistar) who won.

In what was a tight sprint between the best climbers, he proved victorious from Tony Gallopin (AG2R La Mondiale) and Gorka Izagirre (Astana).

Simon Clarke of EF Education First was next, followed by Dunbar and then Lilian Calmejane (Direct Energie).

While Groupama-FDJ had no fewer than three riders in the nine-man escape, they put in a terrible finish.

They filled the last three places in the escape with Thibaut Pinot, David Gaudu and Rudy Molard.

During yesterday's stage 1 TT it was Eddie Dunbar's team mate Filippo Ganna who claimed victory and he took the leader's jersey into today's stage.

Ganna in the La Vie Claire-themed race leader's jersey at the start of the stage today; shaking hands with yesterday's TT runner-up Sebastian Langeveld. Prades, far right, wins today's stage from Gallopin and new race leader Izagirre.

Dunbar and the other Team Sky riders spent much of the pointy end of today's racing on the front, with the young Irishman very impressive in marking the attacks.

Yet he still had the legs to make the front group as the testing climbing towards the end of the stage conspired with no shortage of early season aggression to split the race to pieces.

While Dunbar got a little bumped in the sprint and took 5th place from nine riders, it was an excellent result for him.

And though it is still very early days in the 2019 campaign, he looks to have started the new season in the same form as he rounded out last year.

Back then he was drafted into Team Sky late in the season and really impressed in a series of Italian semi classics when working for Gianni Moscon; having the legs to split the racing completely.

Nicolas Roche (Team Sunweb) is also in action in France and today he was his team's best finisher, coming home in 29th at 42 seconds.

Roche was a matter of seconds off making the front group going over the top of the final climb.

And as he normally takes a number of months to get into top shape, it was a solid early season ride by him.

How the stage was raced

With 15km remaining, as the race was just about to commence the ascent of Les Cretes, Dunbar was ever-present near the front.

He repeatedly sneaked into some short-lived small moves, with the peloton getting smaller every time there was a surge off the front.

With exactly 14km remaining, after Groupama-FDJ had been active on the front, its French rider David Gaudu attacked.

He immediately got clear, with Dunbar marking him all the way; the only rider to do so.

At that point, just one man from the early breakaway was still clear. And while he had a gap of about 30 seconds, it was clear he would be caught.

As Gaudu continued to press hard off the front of what remained of the peloton, Dunbar calmly continued to mark him.

That pairing retained a gap and was joined from behind on the climb by about 20 more riders.

This time Groupama-FDJ’s Tony Gallopin hit the front, with Dunbar remaining second wheel and by now putting in a commanding performance.

With just over 12km to go, Lilian Calmejane (Direct Energie) attacked hard and it was his surge that made the final selection.

Dunbar remained second or third wheel in the group the whole time. And when the select group went over the top of the climb and Pinot took it up on the descent, the Irish rider was right behind him.

It looked for a while like some of the chasers, who were initially only seconds behind, may catch the leaders just after the top of the climb some 12.5km from the finish.

However, the presence of Pinot and two of his team mates in the escape meant they were under pressure to ride on the front.

And when they duly obliged, the gap continued to edge out further. As a result, nobody would get across to the breakaway.

With about 7km remaining, Philippe Gilbert (Deceuninck-QuickStep) attacked from the chase group. He very nearly bridged over to the escape on his own but could not make it.

And on the line he finished alongside Mickaël Cherel (AG2R-La Mondiale) at 16 seconds, just 10 seconds clear of a six-man group.

Another 16 seconds would elapse before a group of 15, containing Roche, finished; some 42 seconds behind the nine leaders.