The Irish champion's colours will be in the pro peloton after Conor Dunne secured a place in the Israel Cycling Academy team.
Irish national road race champion Conor Dunne has saved his career by securing a place at Israel Cycling Academy for next year.
Dunne had ridden for Aqua Blue Sport for the past two seasons and was one of those caught up in the fall-out when it collapsed in August.
He had also just extended for another two years, meaning certainty and stability for the years ahead were taken from him.
But now he has become the latest of Aqua Blue Sport’s riders to land a new deal.
"The clear goal is to be up there in the hunt in every single race," said ICA Chief Sports Director Kjell Carlstrom.
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"We need intelligent, smart and capable riders to support our sprinters and climbers. That is exactly why we could not miss on Conor.
"He has race smarts; he knows when and how to move in the peloton as you can see from his quite successful breakaway attempts rate.
"Of course everybody wants to get to a breakaway but few make it. We will need him in breakaways.
“We will need him to close a breakaway, we will need him to support his teammates in crucial moments. Bottom line, he will be very valuable to us all season long."
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Conor Dunne riding in the breakaway in the elite men’s race at the Worlds in Innsbruck in September (Photo: Sean Rowe)
Dunne was born in the UK and grew up there. But he is from an Irish background and declared for Ireland very early in his career.
He has ridden at elite level for Ireland many times, including breakaway rides at the last two World Road Championships.
Dunne achieved his first major success while still an amateur in Rás Tailteann back in 2013.
Then 20 years old, he was riding as a guest for Carrick Wheelers when he won the opening stage and took the yellow jersey.
Since then he has spent two seasons at An Post-Chainreaction and one at JLT-Condor. He then stepped up from Continental level to the Pro Continental ranks in 2017.
Dunne was among the first group of riders to sign for new Irish team Aqua Blue Sport.
And he spent this year and last season carving out a name for himself as a breakaway specialist.
He rode his first Grand Tour of the Irish team last year when he complete the Vuelta.
Unfortunately the team ran into financial problems this season and it folded in mid August with immediate effect.
That left him without a team for next year; an especially big blow as a number of teams were folding.
However, Dunne has now landed himself a place at the Israel Cycling Academy, meaning he stays at ProContinental level next year.
More to come.
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