Eddie Dunbar has come into some great form, and now he gets a big break. He's in action tomorrow and days later takes a big step forward with his first monument and WorldTour race (Photo: Karen M Edwards)
Eddie Dunbar picked to ride Amstel Gold classic
Having taken a strong 5th place at the Volta Limburg Classic in Holland last week, Eddie Dunbar rides De Brabantse Pijl tomorrow and makes his WorldTour debut on Sunday.
Tomorrow’s Belgian semi-classic comes as Aqua Blue Sport prepares for Amstel Gold and Liège-Bastogne-Liège a week later.
The team will also ride the Tour of Croatia from April 17th to 22nd, a fixture that clashes with Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
Dunbar is definitely in the line-up for the De Brabantse Pijl. Aqua Blue Sport has yet to name its selections in full for the other three races.
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But it has said Dunbar and US champion Larry Warbasse with definitely be riding Amstel Gold. It’s a huge vote of confidence in the 21-year-old Irishman.
Amstel Gold takes place in the same hilly region of Holland as Volta Limburg Classic 10 days ago.
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In that race Eddie Dunbar made the breakaway, coping very well with the 38 climbs that littered the route.
In the sprint for victory Dunbar was fifth over the line; the finish on wet cobbles never going to be his speciality.
The result was by far this strongest since starting to race with Aqua Blue Sport this season. And now the team is clearly getting behind him as he shows strong form.
Amstel Gold on Sunday, at 263km, gets the Ardennes week underway.
It is followed by Fleche Wallonne next Wednesday, which Aqua Blue Sport is not riding, and then Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
Given the parcours and distance, not to mention a field packed with WorldTour riders, Amstel Gold will be a baptism of fire for Dunbar.
The WorldTour teams lining out include Bahrain-Merida, BMC Racing, Lotto-Soudal, Mitchelton-Scott, QuickStep, Dimension Data and LottoNL-Jumbo.
However, before Sunday and then any either the Tour of Croatia or Liège, Dunbar is in action tomorrow in De Brabantse Pijl (1.HC).
He lines out in the 201.9km event in a team that also includes Warbasse and Mark Christian. Aaron Gate also rides as does Lasse Norman Hansen, Casper Pedersen and Calvin Watson.
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