Eddie Dunbar is likely to ride the Tour de France for the first time next year and will start his season with a number of early season stage races that will be new for him, including Paris Nice.
If Dunbar starts the Tour for Team Jayco AlUla, as now appears increasingly likely, he will ride for team leader Ben O'Connor, who has transferred from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale. But the Irish rider said he may also get a chance to go for a stage win himself.
At this team training camp in Altea, southern Spain, two-time Vuelta 2024 stage winner Dunbar has also spoken about the way the culture in Jayco AlUla has suited him much better than Ineos Grenadiers. And he has also set out his first races of the year.
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"I think (I am) just having a bit more freedom, being in charge of what I want to do a little bit while working with Jayco," he said. "I’ve always been a rider where I can just go well off following what I know works for me. And at Ineos, everyone knows they have their way of doing things. It works with some guys and it doesn’t work with some other guys. I think you see that with some riders that left."
Speaking to Assendelft Media, Dunbar praised the environment and resources at Ineos, but said the set-up perhaps did not work for him as well as he hoped, or as well as the team hoped, though it suited others.
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"And then I came here and I feel like my career took another step and I found a place where I can be myself more and just progress," he added of Jayco AlUla as he heads into his third campaign with the team.
Dunbar added he would start his 2025 season at Alula Tour in Saudi Arabia, starting on January 28th. After that, he may go to Paris-Nice. And it appears his Grand Tour schedule would involve the Tour and then perhaps also the Vuelta, though the Giro is not included.
"I will comeback, (from AlUla Tour) maybe do altitude camp and then head to Paris-Nice something like that, but yeah AlUla is the main focus for now".
He believes if he holds the form he had at this year's Vuelta he could finish in the top 10 in a Grand Tour. However, if he rides the Tour de France next year, he said he would help O'Connor and would have no issue doing so.
"Going to the Tour with Ben would be no different," he said of riding for the Australian as he has ridden for other team leaders in the past. "He showed how good he is this year, he’s one of the top riders in the world.
"Yes, it would be nice to have an opportunity to go for the Tour and give him a hand on the GC because he can definitely be competitive for a podium place. It’d be nice to go there and help him, put him in a good position and maybe get the chance myself to go for a stage win".
