Eddie Dunbar has been named in his team's selection for the Tour de Yorkshire, its first outing as Team Ineos.
The Irishman was expected to ride the race and has been included in a line-up that also includes Chris Froome.
The four-stage race, which gets underway on Thursday, will be the first time Dunbar has raced in the same line-up as Froome.
Also named in the squad are: Leonardo Basso, Owain Doull, Chris Lawless, Ian Stannard and Michal Golas.
Team Sky won the inaugural edition of the race back in
2015 with Lars Petter Nordhaug. It was an overall victory that Ireland’s Philip
Deignan played a big role in.
The Donegal man, now retired, helped split the race on the opening day. He got into the breakaway with Nordhaug, who won the stage and defended the race lead all the way.
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Unusually, Team Sky has never taken a very serious approach to races in Britain, which have never been properly targeted by Froome, Geraint Thomas or Bradley Wiggins.
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This time around, however, the race is the launch event
for Team Ineos and a stage win or even an overall victory will be chased harder
than ever.
It is the kind of race that could suit Dunbar down to the
ground; a road man’s course with some lumpy terrain he excels on.
Dunbar rode the race as an 18-year-old back in 2015. He
had gone clear in the breakaway on the opening stage and looked set to claim
the climbers’ jersey.
However, he crashed on a wet descent and broke his
collarbone and was forced out of the race.
He goes back to the event four years on a completely different animal; with four seasons of pro racing under his belt and among a new generation of signings by the world’s richest team.
Froome leads the team this time around but Dunbar may get
a chance; as he did at the Tour de la Provence earlier in the year.
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