Eddie Dunbar signs for Aqua Blue Sport
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Young Irish rider Eddie Dunbar has signed for Aqua Blue Sport for next season.
The U23 Tour of Flanders winner will continue riding for Axeon Hagens Berman for the remainder of 2017.
But from January 1st next he becomes a member of Aqua Blue Sport. The Irish ProContinental team is currently in its first year of racing.
Dunbar, a 20-year-old currently preparing for the European Championships later this week, said he was delighted with his new team.
“It’s a dream come true to ride for an Irish professional team. It’s great that I'm going to have a chance to be part of this project,” he said.
“I’ve spent three years at Continental level and I now feel that the time is right to go up a level.
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“The programme that Aqua Blue Sport offers; the big classics, stage races and the chance of a Grand Tour, all made my decision very easy.
“The team offers a dedicated performance staff and this makes for a great environment. I think, with this in mind, I can continue to make progress.”
Aqua Blue Sport general manager Stephen Moore said the team was very pleased to have him on board.
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“It’s fantastic news to sign such an incredible talent like Eddie Dunbar,” he said.
“From the outset of this project our stated aim has always been to eventually bring the best of Irish talent to the pro ranks.
“It is great to add to our Irish rider line up of Matt Brammeier, Conor Dunne and Martyn Irvine – an opportunity to sign Eddie is a huge coup for us.
“We all can’t wait to see him in the blue and gold of Aqua Blue Sport.”
In Dunbar the team has signed not just an aggressive and able road rider, but one who can climb and has become world class against the watch.
A former junior and U23 Irish TT champion, Dunbar was 6th in the Europeans TT last year and 9th in the Worlds TT.
Since then he has unquestionably moved up a gear. A crash in the Baby Giro in June knocked back his season.
But he has proven resilient in the past; coming back from a broken collar bone last year to win a Rás stage just one example of his toughness.
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.
Dunbar has made a series of team moves during his fledgling career, all of which have been successful.
He decided to ride for UK-based NFTO in his first year out of the juniors rather than bury himself in the European scene; a move that has undone many young Irish riders.
And after one season with the UK team he went to US-based Axeon Hagens Berman.
He has remained with that squad, one of the best development outfits in the world, for two seasons and has developed significantly.
His moving now to Aqua Blue Sport means he will have access to top level racing, up to and including Grand Tours. The team already has a place in the fast-approaching Vuelta 2017.
And he should also have opportunities to ride for himself in many races. That is something he would have been denied had he moved to the WorldTour.
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