Eddie Dunbar has already caught the eye of established pro riders, some of whom have commented on his strength and aggression after just two outings by the Irish teenager in the colours of NFTO Pro Cycling (Photo: VeloUK.net)
Any question mark over whether top Irish junior from last year Eddie Dunbar would be able to hit the ground running on the UK pro scene has been answered by his rides over the past two weekends.
The teenager was 3rd in the Severn Bridge Road Race near Bristol last Sunday week in what was his first outing for Continental outfit NFTO Pro Cycling.
And on Sunday he was 7th in the Jock Wadley Memorial in Colchester, Essex.
Indeed, his team mate and former Garmin-Sharp rider Steele Von Hoff said the young Irishman was so keen to get stuck in on Sunday he had to be told to pull his horns in.
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Australian criterium champion Von Hoff, who Dunbar joined in Sunday’s breakaway and helped win the race, said he was very impressed with what he saw in his young team mate’s strength and attitude towards racing.
Dunbar has always raced hard and he has taken that approach to the UK, with no fear of taking on established pro riders and getting behind the team effort to win (Photo: Stephen McMahon - Sportsfile)
“Eddie was fantastic out there today,” he told VeloUK.net after his win.
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“I had to try and calm him down a bit because he was too strong for his own good at one stage of the race when he was closing every move.
“I told him to take it easy and not be the dominant rider. He’s got a lot of horse power and will be one to watch for the future.”
Dunbar himself said he was happy with his ride.
“I was pretty eager at the start getting in moves and probably did too much,” he told VeloUK.net.
“The likes of Rob (Partridge) and Jonny (McEvoy) calmed me down a bit but the main thing is the team came out on top.
“I have done two longer races, the World Champs in 2013 and the last year the Shay Elliott but today was a lot faster than both those races and a lot flatter.
“With someone like Steele in the break with you; you feel very secure and a lot more confident with what is going on around you knowing he’s one of the fastest guys in the world.
“So I just wanted to do my best for him and cover as many moves as I could.”
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