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#EddieDunbar #TirrenoAdriatico #Cycling #TimeTrial #TeamJaycoAlUla #BenHealy #FilippoGanna #ProCycling #Sprinters #GCRiders #IrishCycling #SamBennett #StageRacing #WorldTour #CyclingFans
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Eddie Dunbar (Team Jayco AlUla) delivered an exceptional performance in the opening time trial of Tirreno Adriatico, a 11.5km pan-flat course in Lido di Camaiore, Italy. Despite the route favoring powerful riders rather than climbers like himself, Dunbar finished 13th, just 44 seconds behind stage winner Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers), who averaged an astonishing 56.174km/h. This marked one of Dunbar’s best time trial performances in his professional career, especially significant given the lack of terrain suited to his strengths.
Dunbar outpaced most of his general classification (GC) rivals, including Simon Yates (Visma-Lease A Bike), Jai Hindley (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), and Mikel Landa (Soudal-QuickStep), who finished between 11 and 19 seconds behind him. Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) trailed by 25 seconds. However, Dunbar was beaten by a few riders, including Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain-Victorious), Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech), and Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), who finished 15, 10, and 6 seconds ahead of him, respectively.
Dunbar, the reigning Irish national time trial champion and former junior TT champion, has historically struggled in flat time trials, making his performance even more impressive. His ride suggested that his form has improved since last month’s AlUla Tour, where he secured two fifth-place finishes on uphill stages. This bodes well for the upcoming mountainous stages, where Dunbar could assert himself as a GC contender.
Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), another Irish rider in the race, finished 20th, 48 seconds behind Ganna. Healy was likely still recovering from his recent fourth-place finish at Strade Bianche, which concluded less than 48 hours prior. Despite the fatigue, his performance demonstrated his resilience and continued strong form.
Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Ireland’s top sprinter, placed 143rd, 1:48 down on Ganna. However, this result was expected, as Bennett’s focus this week is on the sprint stages rather than GC. With two stage wins already this season, Bennett will be aiming to add to his tally in the upcoming flat stages. He faces stiff competition from sprinters like Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), Olav Kooij (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Pascal Ackermann (Israel-Premier Tech), and Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step). A stage win among this elite group would further solidify Bennett’s return to top form, especially in a contract year.
The race continues with Stage 2, a 192km route from Camaiore to Follonica, which is expected to favor the sprinters. Stage 3, a 239km journey, concludes with the Colfiorito climb, a long, steady ascent that could create opportunities for climbers like Dunbar and Healy to make their mark on the GC.
Overall, Dunbar’s performance in the time trial has set a positive tone for his GC ambitions in Tirreno Adriatico, while Healy and Bennett will be looking to capitalize on their respective strengths in the days ahead. The Irish contingent’s performances in this prestigious World Tour race highlight their growing influence in professional cycling.
