Having finished in the top 10 at the Giro d'Italia and won two stages at La Vuelta, Eddie Dunbar will focus on the Grand Tours again next year with his new team, Q36.5 Pro Cycling. And it looks like taking a team leadership role at the Giro is on the cards.
Though Tom Pidcock is the undisputed team leader for Q36.5 Pro Cycling, he is likely to focus on the Tour de France in 2026. The Giro is an obvious race for Dunbar to step in and lead the time, riding for general classification.
And the Irishman has now confirmed that is his plan for the coming season, though the three-week Italian race will not be the only major event, even Grand Tour, he will target.
Dunbar is currently at the Q36.5 Pro Cycling training camp in Spain, his second with his new squad and has been setting out his plans for next year and how he fits into his new team, which he joined after three years at Team Jayco AlUla.
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"The Giro was mentioned at the team camp," he told RTÉ Sport. "I did well there two years ago and I reckon I'll be going back there and I might get an opportunity to lead the team there and see if I can go better than 7th place two years ago.
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"And then there's obviously the Tour (de France). Every rider wants to do the Tour. So if that opportunity comes up, we have a great leader in Pidcock. He was 3rd in the Vuelta and it would be nice to go and support him and see what result we can get.
"I'm 29 now and... I'm used to what's coming up year on year and the pressure that's involved in professional cycling and I'm just excited by it," he said of going in his 12th season riding for UCI-ranked teams.
"I get to work with Kurt Bogaerts again, someone who's well known in Irish cycling throughout the last few years and he's gone a great job with looking after Tom Pidcock as well.
"He has a lot of say in Q36, he's done his time you could say. He's run teams, he's been involved in really big teams. His voice matters and he knows how run a really good team. And he showed that this year with the way he set it up."
Dunbar said he was excited to see so many young Irish riders going abroad and making strides in cycling. He saw "four or five" Irish U23s currently competing who could take the next and become a professional.
