Eddie Dunbar finished a fine seventh on Saturday’s toughest stage of La Route D’Occitanie, finishing 35 seconds behind his victorious Team Ineos team-mate Ivan Sosa. The Colombian rider outsprinted world champion and overnight race leader Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) to the line at Luchon-Hospice de France.
Dunbar had started the stage second overall but was unable to stick with Valverde, who was four seconds ahead of him. He slips to fifth overall, 45 seconds back.
In Switzerland, Nicolas Roche conceded one place in the overall standings, going from ninth to 10th overall after the 19.2 kilometre time trial in Goms.
Belgian rider Yves Lampaert (Deceuninck-QuickStep) was quickest against the clock, while Roche was one minute 32 seconds back in 56th place. Egan Bernal (Team Ineos) continues to lead overall, while Roche is three minutes 17 seconds back with one stage remaining. His 10th place overall shows his form is coming good with two weeks to go until the start of the Tour de France.
In Germany, Irish riders are performing strongly in the junior Nations Cup LVM Saarland Trofeo race. Archie Ryan was a fine eighth on Thursday’s opening stage to Erfweiler-Ehlingen, while Kevin McCambridge took fifth on Friday’s 111 kilometre stage to Munchwies.
That saw him jump up 35 places to a fine fourth overall, one minute 40 seconds off the race leader Andrii Ponomar (Ukraine).
Saturday saw the riders do two stages: the morning leg was an 81-kilometre race in and around Homburg, and was settled in a bunch sprint. Pavel Bittner (Czech Republic) was quickest, while Finlay Newmark was best of the Irish in 12th.
McCambridge also finished in this bunch but slipped two places to sixth overall. He remained one minute 40 seconds off Ponomar going into the evening team-time trial to Reinheim.
LA ROUTE D’OCCITANIE
Stage 3 – Arreau to Luchon-Hospice de France: 1 Ivan Sosa (Team Ineos) 173 kilometres in 4 hours 54 mins 47 secs, 2 A Valverde (Movistar Team) same time, 3 R Uran (EF Education First) at 3 secs, 4 O Rodriguez Garaicoechea (Euskadi Basque Country-Murias) at 20 secs, 5 J Dombrowski (EF Education First) at 24 secs, 6 T Gallopin (AG2R La Mondiale) same time.
Irish: 7 E Dunbar (Team Ineos) at 35 secs
Young rider: 1 Ivan Sosa (Team Ineos) at 4 hours 54 mins 47 secs, 2 O Rodriguez Garaicoechea (Euskadi Basque Country-Murias) at 20 secs, 3 E Dunbar (Team Ineos) at 35 secs.
General classification after stage 3: 1 Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team) 14 hours 28 mins 45 secs, 2 I Sosa (Team Ineos) at 8 secs, 3 R Uran (EF Education First) at 17 secs, 4 T Gallopin (AG2R La Mondiale) at 42 secs, 5 E Dunbar (Team Ineos) at 45 secs, 6 G Carboni (Bardiani CSF) at 1 min 30 secs.
Points classification: 1 Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team) 30 pts, 2 I Sosa (Team Ineos) 20, 3 A Demare (Groupama-FDJ) 20.
Irish: 5 E Dunbar (Team Ineos) 17.
Mountains classification: 1 Oscar Rodriguez Garaicoechea (Euskadi Basque Country-Murias) 22 pts, 2 S Rossetto (Cofidis, Solutions Credits) 19 3 A Valverde (Movistar Team) 19.
Irish: 12 E Dunbar (Team Ineos) 7.
Young rider classification: 1 Ivan Sosa (Team Ineos) 14 hours 28 mins 53 secs, 2 E Dunbar (Team Ineos) at 37 secs, 3 G Carboni (Bardiani CSF) at 1 min 22 secs.
TOUR DE SUISSE
Stage 8, Goms time-trial: 1 Yves Lampaert (Deceuninck-QuickStep) 19.2 kilometres in 21 mins 59 secs, 2 K Asgreen (Deceuninck-QuickStep) at 5 secs, 3 S Kragh Andersen (Team Sunweb) at 10 secs, 4 T Scully (EF Education First) at 13 secs, 5 P Bevin (CCC Team), 6 R Dennis (Bahrain-Merida) at 19 secs.
Irish: 56 N Roche (Team Sunweb) at 1 min 32 secs.
General classification after stage 8: 1 Egan Bernal (Team Ineos) 24 hours 40 mins 24 secs, 2 R Dennis (Bahrain-Merida) at 22 secs, 3 P Konrad (Bora-Hansgrohe) at 1 min 46 secs, 4 T Benoot (Lotto Soudal) at 1 min 54 secs, 5 J Hirt (Astana Pro Team) at 1 min 55 secs, 6 E Mas (Deceuninck-QuickStep) at 2 mins 43 secs.
Irish: 10 N Roche (Team Sunweb) at 3 mins 17 secs.
Points classification: 1, Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) 37 pts, 2, E. Viviani (Deceuninck-QuickStep) 32, 3 M Trentin (Mitchelton-Scott) 22.
Mountain classification: 1 Egan Bernal (Team Ineos) 30 pts, 2 C Imhoff (Switzerland) 25, 3 D Pozzovivo (Bahrain-Merida) 21.
Young rider classification: 1 Egan Bernal (Team Ineos) 24 hours 40 mins 24 secs, 2 T Benoot (Lotto Soudal) at 1 min 54 secs, 3 E Mas (Deceuninck-QuickStep) at 2 mins 43 secs.
Team classification: 1 Movistar Team 74 hours 16 mins 11 secs, 2 Team Sunweb at 1 min 49 secs, 3 Astana Pro Team at 2 mins 9 secs
TOUR OF SLOVENIA
Stage 4, Nova Gorica to Ajdovšcina: 1 Giovanni Visconti (Neri Sottoli-Selle Italia-KTM) 153.9 kilometres in 4 hours 53 secs, 2 D Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates), 3 T Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), 4 A Vlasov (Gazprom-Rusvelo) all same time, 5 A Vendrame (Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec) at 32 secs, 6 E Chaves (Mitchelton-Scott) same time.
Irish: 103 C Dunne (Israel Cycling Academy) at 18 mins 51 secs.
General classification after stage 4: 1 Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates) 15 hours 39 mins 28 secs, 2 G Visconti (Neri Sottoli-Selle Italia-KTM) at 22 secs, 3 A Vlasov (Gazprom-Rusvelo) at 25 secs, 4 T Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) at 30 secs, 5 A Vendrame (Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec) at 1 min 4 secs, 6 E Chaves (Mitchelton-Scott) at 1 min 8 secs.
Irish: 77 C Dunne (Israel Cycling Academy) at 50 mins 19 secs.
Points classification: 1 Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates) 62 pts, 2 L Mezgec (Mitchelton-Scott) 60, 3 G Visconti (Neri Sottoli-Selle Italia-KTM) 55.
Mountains classification: 1 Aleksandr Vlasov (Gazprom-Rusvelo) 24 pts, 2 B. Hill (Ljubljana Gusto Santic) 14, 3 D Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates) 14.
Team classification: 1 UAE Team Emirates 47 hours 2 mins 17 secs, 2 Anrdroni Giocattoli-Sidermec at 3 mins 27 secs, 3 Neri Sottoli Selle Italia KTM at 11 mins 32 secs.
Other: 5 Israel Cycling Academy at 16 mins 54 secs.
