Eddie Dunbar, aged 16, is beginning to look like the real deal; he took a fantastic win in Cork on Sunday
By Brian Canty
There could hardly have been a more popular and deserving winner of the Aquablue Classic in Minane Bridge on Sunday, but Eddie Dunbar was quick to salute those who helped him make it happen.
The 16-year-old stormed to a superb solo win when he took off out of the A3 bunch on the first of six laps, attacked on the climb (12%) after just six kilometres and when no one could go with him, he knew he had the race in the palm of his hand.
But trying to stay away by oneself for the entire day is a risky strategy – as he found out in Broadford to his cost earlier in the season when he was reeled in and ended up sixth.
Since then, however, he’s been training hard and with mentoring from the most successful underage coach in the country, Dan Curtin, he finished the job for his maiden win of 2013.
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“It’s absolutely brilliant, it’s all down to one man and that’s Danny," he said.
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"He puts so much time and effort into me and all the others and he never gets any credit so this is for him. Paidi (O'Brien) won up in Stamullen (on Sunday) and I won in Minane Bridge and you can thank Danny for that,” added the man who counts O'Brien as a neighbour.
Indeed, Dunbar, who won’t be aged 17 until September, has long been earmarked for a bright future and Sunday underlines the potential he has, not just on the climbs, but over a longer race too. At over 60 miles it was a distance he’s rarely raced.
“We had this win planned from a long way out, me and Danny. I knew the climbs would suit me because I’m small and light. So when I saw the others were struggling to hold my wheel the first time, I had a go. One of the Scully brothers from Nenagh tried to come across but he couldn’t and when I got the gap then I knew they wouldn’t catch me.”
At one point his lead went out to over four minutes, remarkable given that his group had only three minutes on the A2 group and a similar amount to the scratch group at the start. But when it came down to such ‘all-or-nothing’ tactics, there was no stopping him.
“Myself and Danny have been back around Dingle training on the hills down there so it was no accident; it’s great to have him there all the time. I come down to his fruit shop in Kanturk during lunch at school, some of the other lads come as well and he’s always there giving us advice, and some fruit as well!”
“To beat the likes of Timmy (Barry) and (Sean) Lacey is definitely one of the highlights of my career.”
Dunbar will head to the Visit Nenagh Classic next weekend as one of the favourites for the A3 race. He’ll form part of an Irish selection alongside Dylan O’Brian, Fintan Ryan, Mark Downey, Shane O’Hara and Stephen Shanahan. In the time trial on Saturday there will also be an Irish team, comprised of Thomas Fallon, Jack Sadler, Sean Hahessy, Jason Prendergast and Mathew Doyle.
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