Cork youngster Eddie Dunbar eighth in French junior stage race for AC Bisontine.

Eddie Dunbar, seen here in the national team colours, is looking forward to today's time trial stage at the Junior French stage race, the Tour Nivernais Morvan.

By Brian Canty

Eddie Dunbar has hit the ground running in France this afternoon (Saturday) with a brilliant eighth place on the opening stage of the Tour Nivernais Morvan (TNM) Juniors stage race.

The second year junior from Banteer is riding in the colours of the AC Bisontine team for the weekend with fellow Corkman Dylan O’Brien also in the team’s five man selection.

And on today’s hilly 105 kilometre opener Dunbar put himself right in contention for a superb overall result when he took eighth place after he helped split the race early on and establish a 12-man break.

That group worked very well together, having escaped the clutches of the peloton after just 20 kilometres and by the finish they had over three minutes on the bunch.

O’Brien was in that bunch and could have notched a very good result on the uphill finish had he not been forced to unclip with a kilometre to go when a crash took him out of contention.

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But it was Dunbar who will be one of the men most watched tomorrow as his performance today even attracted the attention of one of France’s most well-known cyclist personalities in former La Vie Claire rider Jean Francois Bernard, a former team mate of Greg Le Mond and Bernard Hinault.

And little wonder Dunbar was thrilled after the stage from Neuvy-sur-Loire to Clamecy in central France, even rueing a chance at the stage win, having been away solo inside the final 10 kilometres.

“We had three minutes on the bunch at the end, there was a kilometre uphill finish at the end and we had to go up that twice after 100 kilometres and I went on my own with 10k to go but they caught me with three left and they just sat on me for the whole way. I done the majority of the work. On the climbs I was going fierce strong, I’m second in the Mountains Classification as well so it augers well for tomorrow.

“The climbs are only about a kilometre long but they’re tough little things. I probably should have the mountains jersey by right but the others wouldn’t work with me, they just sit on me and sprinted around me but look, the time trial in the morning will suit me and I’m in a good position for that so hopefully I can get on the podium,” he explained.

“The break went after about 15 or 20 kilometres, I just went to the front at the start and attacked until I got away. The others sat on me going up the climbs, there were sprints as well and there were two guys always going for them. They’d stop at the finish though and I’d keep going, hoping they’d come with me but they never did,” he said frustratingly.

“But there’s a time trial in the morning and that’s where the damage will be done. It’s rolly, and there’s an afternoon stage, 86 kilometres, a bit hillier than today. I can’t really seeing it do much to the overall.”

The race was won by Eugene Richardot the team member ASPTT Troyes Junior.