Eddie Dunbar looks like he will be racing in the north of Spain next week as he has been named on the Team Ineos line-up for Vuelta a Burgos; though the selection is provisional at present.
The five-day race, which begins on July 28th, represents a tentative return to business for pro cycling as it is the first pro stage race since the coronavirus pandemic exploded in Europe and competition was halted.
Dunbar has been provisionally named by
the race organisers as part the 151-strong field. The event will be watched
closely to see how pro cycling deals with the continued risk of Covid19.
Joining him in the team will be current
Giro d’Italia champion Richard Carapaz. The Ecuadorian, who signed a three-year
deal with Ineos last September, will be regarded as a favourite to win the
general classification next week.
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For the 23-year-old Dunbar, however, the
Vuelta a Burgos offers an opportunity to continue his strong form of before the
pandemic.
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His first race of the 2020 season saw
him finish an impressive sixth at the Tour de la Provence in France in
February.
This was also enough for Dunbar to
secure second place in the youth classification of the four-stage race.
Dunbar followed this with 3rd
in the youth classification at UAE Tour at the end of February, with 11th
overall in the race.
The UAE Tour was Dunbar’s last event
before the lockdown, but as shown by his sixth place racing up a virtual Mount
Ventoux last week, the Corkman appears to be in good shape ahead of his trip to
Spain.
With another Grand Tour likely on the
horizon for Dunbar this season in the shape of the Giro, next week provides a
good chance to test his post lock-down condition.
More generally the Vuelta a Burgos will show
how prepared pro cycling is to bring back racing under the new restrictions.
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