Irish cyclist Eddie Dunbar is on the rise. And despite a bad smash significantly curtailing his 2017 campaign he's now nominated for a major award. And you can vote for him. Above, winning the U23 Tour of Flanders.
Eddie Dunbar nominated for Young Sports Star of Year
He may have seen the second part of his season wiped out with concussion but Eddie Dunbar still hit the heights in 2017.
And now he has been nominated for the Irish Independent Young Irish Sports Star of the Year Award.
The voting is public, meaning you can cast your vote for Dunbar. However, unlike most awards the voting is not done online.
Instead an application to vote is printed in the Irish Independent newspaper. Stickybottle understands Saturday’s edition will carry the last voting form.
Dunbar’s inclusion on the shortlist of seven is indicative of the impact he has made this year, despite a crash ruining much of his season.
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Before his crash in the Baby Giro in Italy in June Dunbar would the U23 Tour of Flanders.
It was an incredible achievement and the manner of his way made it extra special.
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On a much harder course than usual, Dunbar took flight solo. He powered all the way to win by 49 seconds from a group of twelve.
It was the best ever result by an U23 riding for Ireland. And it confirmed his huge potential in the sport.
Earlier this year he was 5th overall in the Volta ao Alentejo (2.1) in Portugal. He placed 2nd in both the young rider and climbers classifications.
He was then 5th in Classica da Arrabida (1.2), also in Portugal. And in April at Le Triptyque des Monts et Chateaux (2.2) in France he went into over drive.
He was 7th on stage 2 and was 2nd on stage 4; finishing on the same time as the winner of that TT stage. That left him 2nd overall.
Dunbar would follow that up with his best result of the year, indeed his career to date. He rode away to a solo victory in the U23 Tour of Flanders.
In April he was 6th in the GP Palio del Recioto (1.2U) and 3rd in the GP Industria & Commercio (1.2U).
After those two Italian events he took a racing break for over a month to prepare for June’s Baby Giro. However, a bad crash on the opening stage saw him withdraw.
He would ride the TT and road race at the National Championships in June, the Velothon Wales in July and the TT at the European Championships in August.
However, after the Euros TT on August 8th he knew he was not in full health. An episode, which he has likened to a panic attack, confirmed for him he was still very unwell.
As a result he withdrew from the road race in advance. He then ended his season, having been concussed sine his crash on June 9th.
However, his talent in recent years and his early season results for this year meant he landed a pro contract. He will ride next year with Aqua Blue Sport.
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