Eddie Dunbar thrives on Monte Bondone and climbs to Top5: "This is what I have always wanted"

Eddie Dunbar managed to finish alongside the big favorites for victory in the Giro d'Italia and came in fourth at the finish line 25 seconds behind Joao Almeida and Geraint Thomas, trailing Primoz Roglic at Monte Bondone, a breakthrough ride for the Irishman.

He was asked what the stage meant to him: "It's not a victory, I finished fourth, I couldn't follow today's top riders G and Almeida at the end, but it's a positive day." Having resisted the initial attack of the Portuguese, Dunbar had teammate Filippo Zana cement the gap to his direct rivals, and then hung on the wheel of Primoz Roglic all the way into the finish line, climbing up the GC from eighth to fifth with a brilliant performance.

The Team Jayco AlUla rider had never had a chance to ride a grand tour with INEOS and now he is doing it for the Australian team as a leader. Logically, he is delighted: "This is what I have always wanted, to have a chance in a race like this, fortunately the Jayco AlUla team has believed in me and we have worked very hard the last six months to get in shape for this race."

He will have a few more difficult days to tackle at the Corsa Rosa, but if today was a sign of what's to come it will be perfectly reasonable that he may eye the fourth place of Damiano Caruso, who today lost 51 seconds on the Team Jayco AlUla rider. Dunbar sits only 13 seconds away from the Italian for the time being.