“He didn’t even shake hands with the winner, but he came up to me afterwards and said ‘well done’" - Eddie Dunbar recalls impressing Eddy Merckx as a youngster
Cycling
Arguably the biggest legend in cycling history, Eddy Merckx has left an indelible impact on the history of the sport. One example of the Belgian making an impact that many might not know, is in the career Team Jayco AlUla's Eddie Dunbar.
Winding the clock all the way back to 2015 and the under-23 La Côte Picarde Nations Cup event, Dunbar was a fresh-faced 18-year-old riding for NFTO at the time. The Irishman attacked early, opening a big lead over the bunch and securing himself the King of the Mountains classification and the Points classification and the title of most aggressive rider.
Whilst he was unable to hold on to victory, eventually coming home 42nd as Simone Consonni triumphed, Merckx, who was in attendance and spent time in the race director's car was incredibly impressed by Dunbar's performance and his words post-race left a lasting impression on the young Irishman.
“He was behind me for three hours in the car,” Dunbar told VeloNews in their Origin Stories series. “He didn’t even shake hands with the winner, but he came up to me afterwards and said ‘well done.’ He said that was very impressive. I think he liked it, it is what he used to do as a rider. Maybe he enjoyed seeing it again.”
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- He lives in Monaco
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - It's also highly significant for Lorenzo Finn as he won there last year. Also Mateo Ramírez and Henrique Bravo if they goRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- This is a phenomenal course design. I do wish that they'd stretch these tours for the women to at least 2 weeks.RidesHills03-11-2026
- This is an amazing route, honestly. Let's hope that it attracts riders to make it a compelling and competitive race. Side bar amusement: going to Slovenia and passing pretty close to Pogačar's house. I wonder if they were tempting him to get all 3 jerseys at once after winning the Tour and Vuelta. After all, only a very few have ever had all three at the same time (Froome being the last).RidesHills03-11-2026
- He was a child two years agoRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- A great route aswell. Col d'Arpy is a toughieRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- Let Torito have a shot at itRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- A great route, much more exciting than the Tour de France. Monte Livata is an interesting one, because they experimented with it at the 2026 Baby Giro, and it was fantastic. 4 km at 10%, then 10 km at 6.5% made for a great spectacle. The stage 16 is horrible. Montaner is also used in the U23s, in Giro del BelvedereRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- I remember when Mark went through that. He was really experiencing lows and thought about quiting many times. It took him a long time to recover. I, like many others were overjoyed when he came back. I hope Lafay has been tested. I wish him the best.Paggss03-11-2026
- That sucks for him. I've always wondered what guys like him do after retiring from cycling - go back to uni? He's still a very young manCrashjames03-11-2026
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