Eddie Dunbar avoided disaster to stay in contention for the yellow jersey at the An Post Rás yesterday, the young Corkman battling to limit his losses to just 14 seconds after a late mechanical threatened to derail his chances.

Taco van der Hoorn of the Dutch Join-S de Rijke squad won yesterday’s opening stage of the An Post Rás on a day that saw 40-year old ex-Irish Olympian Ciarán Power roll back the years and barrel in for a mighty result of his own.