Eddie Dunbar has made quality breakaways on the hardest stages against WorldTour men of late. Aged 21 years, he believes a win will come soon. And he says things are really coming together for him. Above, Dunbar digs deep on the uphill finish at the Tour de Yorkshire (Photo: Karen M Edwards)
Having finished 4th on the Tour de Yorkshire queen stage and 4th overall at the Baloise Belgium Tour, Eddie Dunbar says he believes a win is close.
The Irishman rode out of his skin in Yorkshire, making the breakaway on the queen stage.
Dunbar attacked several times in the closing kilometres. But he was shut down each time by BMC Racing as Greg Van Avermaet was chasing overall victory.
And in Belgium, Dunbar also rode clear in the breakaway on the hardest day. At times it was he who was pushing the pace.
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He said while he always races with winning in mind; attacking alone against the strength of BMC in Yorkshire was challenging.
In Belgium, Eddie Dunbar attacked during the golden kilometre – where time bonuses were on offer – and that would split the race.
But he said he should have kept his powder dry a bit more and may have had enough left towards the finish.
He was disappointed with how that stage panned out, as he finished fifth just off the back of what was a five-man escape.
On the front in attacking mode in Belgium last weekend.
“You live and learn but I was pretty disappointed after that,” Irish rider Dunbar said on his team blog.
“It’s just my mentality. There’s probably something wrong with me, but I am very hard on myself.
“Results aside, my racing in May was pretty close to me at my best. I was injury-free, with no major setbacks to speak of.
“And with a good block of racing now under my belt I can see that things are starting to come together.
“It’s not that winning is everything, but it is a big thing in our sport. You need to be able to deliver results.
“(It’s) not only for yourself but for all the team members who are riding for you on the road, and working behind the scenes.
“I do believe I’m getting closer every race, and I think the win will come soon. Slowly but surely, I will get there.
“I’ll keep doing what I’m doing because it is working at the moment. I’m staying fresh and looking after myself and it nearly paid off in Yorkshire."
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Climbing in Yorkshire; Dunbar was one of 10 men pressing on at the pointy end of the queen stage (Photo: KarenMEdwards)
He added the atmosphere in Yorkshire, and the reaction of the locals to the racing, was something he won't forget.
“You can’t mention Yorkshire, of course, without talking about the crowds. It’s an amazing race in a beautiful part of the world and we were so lucky with a week of sunshine.
“I think there was something like 2.6 million people came out over the four days to watch it. That’s mad.
“I’m not sure how many other sports in the world actually have spectators come out in those numbers, and you do feel it on the road… the buzz, the adrenaline, the atmosphere, it spurs you on.
“You know you’re in something big. Especially on the fourth stage – given that it was Sunday and nobody had to work.
“The crowds were just incredible in every town we went through and on every hill we climbed.
“I’ve never ridden a stage of the Tour de France but I’d say Yorkshire isn’t far off it.
“Of course the world championships are on next year in Yorkshire, so I can’t imagine what that’s going to be like.”
Eddie Dunbar rode himself to a standstill in the breakaway in Amstel Gold, but still finished; a great performance (Photo: Aqua Blue Sport)
Away from racing, Eddie Dunbar says he is quite happy with living and training at home in Ireland.
"I try to get up early in the morning and get my training done early– be it a workout on the bike, a gym session, stretching," he writes.
"So once that’s done and out of the way I have the rest of the day to spend with my girlfriend, to visit friends, to hang out with my family or just to chill.
"When I’m at home I try to switch off from cycling, because if you are ingrained in it too much it’s easy to get sick of it, and then you appreciate it more when you do jump back into it.
"That’s one reason why I like being in Ireland, because I can get up, do some really good quality training where I live, come back and then be free to do what I want.
"I lived in Girona for a while and that was one thing that I found difficult, being embedded in the cycling bubble the whole time.
"There’s nothing wrong with it, don’t get me wrong, but it wasn’t me. I was kind of lucky that I realised that from an early age.
"I figured out what worked for me, and a big part of that is being at home in Ireland, and being able to switch off.
"It’s a tough enough sport as it is, so it’s important that when you’re away from it you’re happy. That’s the most important thing in life, not just in cycling.
"If you’re not happy… there’s no point in doing it. I think a lot of people know that about me, and I’m going to keep on doing it as long as it works for me.”
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