Having taken the first two victories of his professional career this season, Eddie Dunbar will have greater scope for more success in the future after confirmation that he is moving to the BikeExchange-Jayco squad on a three-year deal.
The 25-year-old Corkman has been with the Team Sky/Ineos Grenadiers set-up since September 2018 and has most often been required to work for others. He played a valuable support role in helping Richard Carapaz win the 2021 Tour de Suisse, placing 12th overall and winning the best young rider award himself in the process, but would likely have won a lot more with another team.
He showed his talent this season in winning the overall classification of the prestigious Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali in March. Despite that, he was passed over for selection for the Giro d’Italia, likely sealing his decision to leave the team. Dunbar also won the Tour de Hongrie in May.
Earlier this year he said he would likely have more personal opportunities elsewhere, and that this consideration would be a factor in deciding where to spend the next years of his career.
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He will race alongside Simon Yates at the Australian team, and seems certain to lead at certain events. He will hope to make his Tour de France debut in 2023.
“I am very excited about spending the next three years with Team BikeExchange-Jayco,” Dunbar said in a team statement on Monday. “I am really looking forward to getting some more opportunities to compete in some bigger races and to continue to develop as a rider.
“I have high hopes to add to an already great and successful team, as shown with their performances this year, with stage wins in both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for me.”
Dunbar is a gifted climber but has only ridden one Grand Tour thus far, the 2019 Giro d’Italia. He was third on a stage there and 22nd overall, a strong performance for his debut three-week race. He has missed subsequent Grand Tours due to illness, injury and the decision of the team to select other riders for the Tour de France.
BikeExchange-Jayco general manager Brent Copeland sees Dunbar as a promising addition to the line-up.
“It is really exciting for us to be bringing on such a talented, young but experienced rider on to the team and this year, Eddie has had a really strong season,” he said. “We have watched him step up a level. We believe he will fit into our team very well and play a huge role in strengthening our squad in stage races.
“Eddie looks like a real racer, and this is something special that we wanted to bring to the team. He really gets stuck in to racing and we are looking forward to seeing what results he can achieve with us over the next three seasons as we assist with his development.”
Dunbar will remain with Ineos Grenadiers for the remainder of this season, and could potentially be part of its Vuelta a España line-up this month.
