Eddie Dunbar takes win in Dungarvan GP from escapees Anthony O'Neill & John O'Brien

Eddie Dunbar's fantastic first year as a junior has continued today with victory in the Dungarvan GP

By Brian Canty

Eddie Dunbar has stormed to a brilliant solo victory in the Dungarvan GP this afternoon, Sunday, in Co Waterford.

The O’Leary’s Stone-Kanturk rider was easily the strongest rider over the 105 kilometre course and made his decisive bid for glory on the final lap when he jumped clear with John O’Brien (Ballymore CC) and Anthony O’Neill (Usher IRC).

On the final drag up to the finish he dropped those two and had plenty of time to celebrate yet another win. O’Neill was next over the line with O’Brien in third, followed by the bunch.

Dunbar signalled his intent right from the outset and attacked again and again on the first of three 35 kilometre loops.

He got up the road a few times, but each time he did he was reeled in by the likes of Blarney, Iverk Produce Carrick Wheelers and a host of others.

That opening lap was marred by a horror crash on the main road back into Dungarvan when a touch of wheels towards the front of the bunch brought down a massive amount of riders and held up several more, with Blarney’s Liam Ryan coming off worst and being hospitalised.

The race split as a result of the spill, with some 40 riders breaking away, while another smaller sized bunch worked hard to bridge but failed to do so.

Many abandoned following the crash but the drama didn’t end there. Cian O’Dwyer was next to hit the deck when he was switched across the road and landed over a wall, though thankfully he was able to get up and continue.

All the while, Dunbar was at the head of affairs, dictating matters and on the second lap he broke clear by himself following a period of sustained attacking. He took the first prime, then he took the second but his margin over the reduced bunch was always around the 20 second mark.

A lesser talent would have sat up and saved his matches for the final climb, but Dunbar was on the money today and each one of his accelerations was as stinging as the next. Eventually he ground down the peloton, who were worn out from chasing him.

On the final lap, Usher’s Anthony O’Neill and veteran John O’Brien (Ballymore CC) jumped across to him and the trio worked well.

O’Neill and O’Brien are experienced campaigners but they hadn’t the class of Dunbar today. He succeeded in dropping them on the 2.5 kilometre drag up to the finish outside the town, clearly illustrating just why he is one of the most talked about first year juniors in the country.

Danny Bruton won the bunch gallop for fourth with Comeragh’s Trevor Robinson in fifth.

Meanwhile, Jamie Blanchfield (Clonmel WorldWide Cycles) won the shortened A4 race.

The two-lap race was dominated by Blanchfield who was active on the climbs and strong on the front throughout. He didn’t take the prime for the first lap — that went to local man Mark Radley - but Blanchfield made up for that in the closing kilometres when he jumped away from the bunch to celebrate a very good win.

A2/A3 Race

1 Eddie Dunbar (O’Leary’s Stone Kanturk CC),

2 Anthony O’Neill (Usher IRC),