Eddie Dunbar went into the Giro d'Italia largely untested as a Grand Tour rider. He signed for Team Jayco AlUla on a three-year deal with the specific aim of being a team leader. He needed to step up at this Giro. He didn't have to set the world on fire, but now aged 26 years, he needed to show he genuinely had the ability to be a Grand Tour contender. Has he achieved that in any really sense?
His leadership of the team on the Italian Grand Tour - and the manner of his riding on some of the stages - also threw up inevitable comparisons between his time at Ineos Grenadiers and now as a Jayco AlUla rider. So what does his performance say - if anything - about the way Ineos Grenadiers treated him? And, most importantly, what of the future for Eddie Dunbar? Let's explore these issues.
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The real significance of Dunbar's result
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When Dunbar's team in 2018 - Aqua Blue Sport - collapsed, Dunbar was signed for the remainder of that campaign and for the following season by Team Sky. He later signed a three-year contract bringing him up to the end of 2022. Team Sky, now Ineos Grenadiers, selected Dunbar for the first Grand Tour that arose during his time with the team, Giro 2019. He rode well, placing 22nd overall and taking 3rd on a stage - a more than solid start. But after that debut ride, Dunbar never lined out at a Grand Tour again for the British World Tour team. It was a strange scenario for a rider whose speciality was climbing and who always looked best suited to Grand Tour racing. And that strange scenario also meant he was signed by Jayco AlUla for this year - and the next two seasons - as a Grand Tour team leader without ever having been properly tested in a three week race. The team said before this Giro it had a plan for him - spanning the next few seasons - to turn him into a Grand Tour contender. However, he was never under any pressure to go into the Giro with an all or nothing effort. He needed to show he could climb with the best, last for the full three weeks and also absorb the added pressure of leading a team. There can be no doubt he passed all three tests. He was as high as 4th overall well into the third week of the race. And though he slipped to 7th overall by the finish, that was an excellent performance. He was genuinely well-supported by his team over the three weeks. And, from the outside looking in, he seemed at ease as a team leader; a status that some riders simply cannot handle. Dunbar's career has also been hit by illness and injury, both of which he manged to avoid during the Giro. His result, and the manner of his riding, will act as confirmation for himself and his team they should persist with the Grand Tour project they have set for themselves.
Dunbar at Ineos Grenadiers Vs Jayco AlUla
The comparison is irrelevant at this stage. However, it was mentioned often during the Giro so let's consider it for a moment. Dunbar willingly signed his contract with Sky/Ineos. He also could have left - and likely would have been released if that was his wish - but opted to stay until his contract expired. That point, that he was an Ineos rider by choice, is easy to overlook when one reads some of the comments from Irish cycling fans on social media. But now Dunbar has moved on to pastures greener, where he is more valued. During his time with Sky/Ineos the team had proven Grand Tour winners on its roster; Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas, Richard Carapaz and Egan Bernal, not to mention a whole host of others who have won major races. Against the backdrop of that line-up, it is no surprise Dunbar never led a Grand Tour team for Sky/Ineos. What is much harder to understand is why he was never even selected for those races. At times he was ill or injured, but there were several opportunities for the team to name him in their line-ups and they overlooked him. Now that he has finished 7th in the Giro, that decision looks like an even stranger one. The team perhaps didn't seen him as a rider who could do mile after mile on the front on the flat and on the climbs, unlike the type of rider it often opts for to support its Grand Tour leaders. It often goes for powerful/TT riders who can also climb - think Rohan Dennis, Thymen Arensman and others - to form its 'train'. But why Dunbar was never picked - not even once - to play the role of climbing domestique like, say, Daniel Martínez is a mystery. The one positive is that Dunbar finds himself with that situation in the rear view mirror. He is now in an environment where he is already being trusted by senior management, whose reasons for recruiting him have just been confirmed over three hard weeks in Italy.
How far can he go on Grand Tours?
Short answer; the final podium. Dunbar lost most of his time to his rivals on the Giro in the three TTs, which were included this year to attract Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) to the race. In future Grand Tours the Irishman probably won't face as many TT kilometres, which will increase his chances of a top result. However, the real gains for Dunbar will come as a result of riding three-week races. They will help further develop his engine and his endurance. He'll feel the benefit of this Giro at the Vuelta later this year. And if he can put together another strong ride in Spain, over the full three weeks, he'll go into next season a stronger cyclist with two Grand Tours in the bank. That's something he has been missing so far in his career. Aside from being slightly on the backfoot as a result of having three TTs in the Giro, he perhaps lacked a little towards the end of the race. The third week is always so important in any Grand Tour. The race organisers often pack hard stages into the final days in a bid to keep the GC battle in the balance for as long as they can. Added to that, week three is generally peak attrition as fatigue really sets in. It is that time of the race when the real GC contenders show their staying power as some of their rivals fall away a little. With this Giro in his legs, Dunbar should be stronger for longer in his next Grand Tour. That's not guaranteed, but it should work that way, to a lesser or greater extent. His preparation for this Giro was also interrupted by his early season crash; breaking his hand in January and missing six weeks of racing. He won't face a disadvantage like that going into La Vuelta - and other future Grand Tours - and that should add further to his ability over three weeks. In short, with another Grand Tour in his legs, fewer TT kilometres and more experience leading a team, Eddie Dunbar is definitely a contender to finish on the podium of a Grand Tour in the next few years. His Giro performance will encourage Team Jayco AlUla to back him again, perhaps with more resources. But, make no mistake, Dunbar's performance in Italy is a recipe for more Grand Tour team support and success. His 7th place is only a starting point.
