Eddie Dunbar believes the next two seasons will be the biggest of his career, when he says he can reach his full potential having not yet done so. The Cork man is moving from Team Jayco AlUla to Q36.5 Pro Cycling for the next two years.
And even though the Swiss team has a clear leader in British star Tom Pidcock, Ireland's Dunbar believes it is an environment where he can excel and put behind him the difficulties that have held him back in recent years.
He will once again work with Belgian Kurt Bogaerts, who was on the managament during a less than satisfactory time for Dunbar at Sky/Ineos, though the Irish rider said Bogaerts played a big part in his decision-making to sign his new contract.
“The Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team is obviously a team on the up which is a good sign," said Dunbar as the team announced it had signed the Irishman for the next two years. "They are really competitive in races, take it on even if they don’t win and create a good racing atmosphere riding as one.
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"When Kurt Bogaerts – who I know well from my time at Ineos – joined, my interest was sparked even more. I know how he works. I also spoke to Doug Ryder on how the team is going and what they expect.
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"In Tom they have a clear leader which is always good for any team so it seems like a good moment now to join with my knowledge and experience.”
“Grand Tours suit me well because I always get better towards the end. I absorb the workload of a three-week race well. There have been glimpses of what I can do but due to crashes and illness I haven’t reached my full potential there yet.
"That’s something for the next two years. The team has already done some big races, and I hope I will play my part in the future ones. Winning a race is never easy but when there is an opportunity, I am ready to take my chance”
For his part, Bogaerts said he believed Dunbar would make a great addition to the team. “Eddie is a very interesting rider I know well. He can climb, time trial and is punchy by nature," he said.
"He has already shown great things in smaller stage races but also won two stages in the Vuelta and has ridden in support of team leaders often too. He is versatile and quite adapt to hard races. I am happy he will be with us."
