Dunbar to lead at Team BikeExchange - Jayco: "Eddie comes in to us as a leader"

This winter it came as no surprise to see Eddie Dunbar leave INEOS Grenadiers following five seasons with the team and only one Grand Tour in the bank. He has signed for the Australian Team BikeExchange - Jayco, where his role will be significantly different.

“At INEOS he missed opportunities. Someone like Eddie comes in to us as a leader, team manager Matt White told The Cycling Podcast. Whilst Dunbar as only ever ridden the 2019 Giro d'Italia, he did not get selected for one afterwards, with the British team having lots of depth and many new talents emerging. He's signed a three-year deal with BikeExchange, and White has plans of giving him that freedom. 

“Our schedules for next year are not yet certain, but I see someone like Eddie leading our squad in next year's Giro d'Italia, when he was not even part of the INEOS roster in 2022," he continued. It is clear within the team that whilst Dunbar is likely to aim at the GC at the Giro, Simon Yates will look to perform in the early-season stage-races and the mountainous Tour de France.

"For us he will be an alternative to Simon Yates. That's something we lacked after Adam Yates left," White concluded. Dunbar has this year won the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali and the Tour de Hongrie, and he will be looking to translate that success into 2023.