Eddie Dunbar drops to fifth after gruelling Giro stage but eyes ...
Eddie Dunbar is one day away from one of the best-ever performances by an Irish rider over three weeks at a Grand Tour, despite dropping to fifth overall at the Giro d’Italia on Friday.
The 26-year old was distanced in the latter part of Friday's hellish 19th stage from Longarone to Tre Cime di Lavaredo, which was won by Colombian climber Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious).
Dunbar started the day a career-high fourth overall, three minutes down on the rider in third place, and 3´39” down on overall race leader and pink jersey wearer Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers).
It was always going to be difficult to pull back such time and challenge for the podium, but Dunbar and his Jayco-ALula teammates clearly had a plan and they went into the stage determined to chip into the deficit.
Stalking Dunbar in fourth was Italian Damiano Caruso a few seconds back overall, but he put in a very solid ride to distance the Irishman and cross the line 54 seconds in front.
It meant Dunbar dropped one place overall, but is still just 42 seconds in arrears going into today's penultimate stage - an 18-6 kilometre individual time trial.
Though not the Irishman's favourite discipline, this final race of truth features a mountain-top finish where the riders will climb an eye-watering 1,050 metres in the final 10 kilometres alone.
It’ll mean the majority of the riders will actually start on a conventional TT bike before switching midrace to their ‘normal’ road bikes for the remaining uphill kilometres.
It will certainly favour Dunbar's characteristics as an explosive climber, though the very best he can hope for at this stage is fourth overall as to finish on the podium now would mean an enormous collapse from Joao Almeida.
It promises to be a thrilling climax as Thomas leads Primoz Roglic by just 26 seconds after the latter clawed back three seconds on Friday's stage, and he is historically a better man against the clock than the Welshman.
Almeida cannot be discounted either as he´s just 59 seconds down on Thomas and 33 back on Roglic. The Portuguese rider finished 20 seconds down on Thomas on Friday, but is already a stage winner in this race having beaten Thomas on the mountains in stage 16.
Thomas has never won the Giro, and has looked superb the last three weeks but will need another stellar performance tomorrow to make sure of a first Giro title.
