Eddie Dunbar celebrates first pro win at Coppi e Bartali: "Everyone knows how much this means to me"

INEOS Grenaders' Eddie Dunbar conquered the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali this past weekend and has shown his satisfaction with what was an incredible week for the team.

"I’ve been on the team a few years now and everyone knows how much this means to me, it's like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders!" Dunbar said after confirming his first GC win since joining INEOS Grenadiers, which is also the first win of his career.

He joined the British team in 2018, and has since became a reliable domestique, deep within the INEOS' mountain block. This week at Coppi e Bartali he came in with good form, attacked the opening stage to get time on his rivals, and then held it together on the remaining stages to take home the overall win, whilst at the same time playing a role in the wins of teammates Ethan Hayter and Ben Tulett.

After a show of consistency and power, Dunbar was a dominant figure in the Italian race: "I knew I could be up there in races, GC-wise and I said ‘once I get a good run I can be good enough to contest these races'. Everything fell into place this week and it's a relief," he added. “We laid down the marker from day one to show we had a strong team and it was a super week for us and also for Ben - he got his first pro win and 2nd on GC. On the really tough days he was always there."

Dunbar is for the moment being not outlined to be in a Grand Tour, however it is likely that he'll ride either Giro d'Italia or Vuelta a España. He will be riding the Itzulia Basque Country and the Ardennes classics later this spring where he will be an important card for the team.