Feature: Eddie Dunbar – Building towards the Tour de France & beyond


Coach Jon Sharples at trainSharp provides an exclusive insight into WorldTour pro Eddie Dunbar building towards racing the Tour de France, Vuelta and much more

Feature: Eddie Dunbar – Building towards the Tour de France & beyond

A very young Eddie Dunbar on the attack in the Tour de Yorkshire when racing for British team NFTO

FEATURE (insights into a WorldTour rider): Jon Sharples – trainSharp Client Spotlight – Eddie Dunbar: Building Towards the Tour — Jon writes …. When I talk about long-term rider development, there’s no better example than Eddie Dunbar. I’ve known Eddie for years from the fiery, attacking rider who wanted to race everyone into the ground, to the polished GC stage racer he’s becoming today. His journey has had highs, setbacks, and everything in between, but it’s been shaped by one thing above all: a process that respects the rider.

Team Sky Years: Eddie Dunbar’s Early Development
When Eddie signed with Team Sky, it was the dream move for any young rider: the biggest team, the best resources, and cutting-edge training. But the factory approach doesn’t always fit the rider. He was pushed into massive volumes of 30 to 35 hours a week on the bike. He could handle it, but it dulled the very weapon that made him special: that sharp, punchy acceleration. Eddie put it simply: “Jon, I feel like the more I do, the more it just scrubs off my top end.”

That was a turning point. I’ve coached riders at every level for 22 years, and I know that more isn’t always better. For Eddie, the sweet spot is 18–22 hours a week. It keeps him fresh, healthy, firing on all cylinders, and ready to race the way he was born to race.

Performance Data and Power Numbers
To ride with the best, you need world-class numbers and Eddie has them. But the real challenge is to keep lifting that ceiling year on year. For us, it isn’t about chasing raw power for the sake of it, it’s about making sure that when the road tilts up, or when the pace goes sky-high from kilometer zero, Eddie has the depth to respond. That means every camp, every block, and every recovery window has to be perfectly timed. The goal is simple: build an engine that can match the demands of the modern peloton faster, harder, and more relentless than ever.

But numbers only tell part of the story. As Eddie says with a laugh: “I can ride all day at 5 watts per kilo, but the races are so fast now like Formula 1, everyone’s on a 56-tooth chaining and you’re on the pedals from kilometer zero. The hardest part isn’t the climbing, it’s the fighting to stay at the front that’s where the real stress is.”

Eddie sees the sport clearly with no ego, and it’s what makes him so coachable. We can turn every bit of feedback into progress.

2025 Season Review: Breakthroughs and Setbacks
This year has tested Eddie, but also revealed what he’s capable of:
• AlUla Tour, Saudi Arabia — Right in the mix on the mountain stages, finishing 4th and 5th on stages, showing the depth we’d built all winter.
• Tirreno-Adriatico 2025 — His best ever time trial, silencing the critics who labelled it his weakness. A crash on Stage 5 cut it short, but that’s bike racing.
• Tour of the Basque Country — One of the hardest races on the calendar: short, brutal climbs and constant attacks. We’d prepped with turbo sessions that simulated those finishing climbs, teaching his body to suffer and still have a kick left. He arrived not just to survive, but to shape the race.
• Tour of the Alps — Used as a perfect engine-sharpening race, Eddie rode aggressively, testing his form and building the consistency needed for July.
• Tour de Romandie — Against a world-class field, he held his own in the mountains and confirmed his stage-race shape was where it needed to be.
• Critérium du Dauphiné 2025 — A key Tour warm-up. Eddie showed grit and progression, mixing with the GC riders and gaining confidence from holding his own day after day.
• Tour de France 2025 — His first Tour, and he didn’t just ride it — he made his mark, especially with that Stage 6 breakaway.
• Arctic Race of Norway — After the Tour, he bounced back with consistency, showing resilience and the ability to keep racing strong, despite illness in the peloton.
• Vuelta a España 2025 — The final Grand Tour of the season, where Eddie proved he can go deep with the world’s best.

Tour de France 2025 Breakthrough
July was always the big test to be selected for his first ever Tour de France. And Eddie delivered not just with consistency, but with a moment that really turned heads. On Stage 6, he made it into the long breakaway that lit up the race. It wasn’t just brute force that got him there it was timing. He waited, watched the moves, and then crossed the gap so fast and so smoothly, it looked effortless.

In that group were some of the very best: Mathieu van der Poel, Ben Healy, Simon Yates, and others. Eddie belonged there, right in the mix. He rode smart, rode hard, and fought it out all the way to the line for 4th place on the stage. On the TNT broadcast, Robbie McEwen summed it up perfectly: “That was the master move of the day. Dunbar waited, chose his moment, and got across with hardly any effort. That’s real racing.”

For Eddie, that was a breakthrough not just numbers on a screen, but respect from the race itself.

Vuelta a España 2025: Progress Under Pressure
After the Tour finished, there was no big reset, just a careful rebuild to hold onto form without burning out. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. At the Arctic Race of Norway straight after the Tour, a large part of the peloton, Eddie included, was hit with illness likely Covid. It meant we had to tread carefully: allowing his body to fight it off without losing too much of the form he had built.

The Vuelta was always part of the plan: three weeks of relentless climbing, brutal heat, and a race that often rewards the brave. Last year, Eddie won two stages here but 2025 was always going to be a different challenge. This time, the GC teams raced aggressively from day one, chasing every point and shutting down almost every move. Even with the form of his life, repeating those stage wins was never realistic.

But that didn’t mean the race was a loss. Eddie rode himself into the event week by week, showing not just resilience but growth. He got into several breakaways, animated the race, and on Stage 15 fought to 5th place on a summit finish, climbing with some of the very best in the world. Along the way, his power files showed multiple lifetime bests, proof that the work was paying off, even if the victories were harder to grab.

Another key milestone: by the end of the Vuelta, Eddie had notched up 70 race days this season more than he’s ever done before. That kind of depth, managing recovery, travel, illness, and performance across so many race days, is a sign he’s maturing into a true GC contender.

Looking Ahead: World Championships and Il Lombardia
Now, attention turns to the 2025 World Championships, where the one-day format rewards the kind of aggression and engine Eddie has in spades. After that, it’s on to Il Lombardia 2025, his favourite race, where climbing legs and courage on the descents decide everything. With the shape he’s carrying, and the confidence from the Vuelta, there’s no better way to close the season.

And beyond 2025? The next step of Eddie’s journey is already lined up. He’ll be moving to Q36.5 Pro Cycling in 2026 a team that’s built around riders like Tom Pidcock and him: hungry, ambitious, and not afraid to take on the biggest names. It’s a fresh chapter, and one that excites me as a coach. The work we’ve done over the past few years refining his training, sharpening his racecraft, building his belief is all laying the foundation for what’s to come. Eddie’s not just knocking on the door anymore. He’s ready to step through it.

What You Can Learn From Eddie Dunbar’s Training?
You might think: That’s fine for a pro like Eddie, but what about me? Here’s the truth: the principles are the same. Whether you’re a junior trying to break through, an amateur who’s tired of hanging on, or a seasoned racer chasing podiums your growth comes from:
• Training that fits you
• Building belief alongside power
• Learning to race smarter, not just harder
• Having a coach in your corner who knows how to deliver

That’s what I’ve done with Eddie. It’s what I’ve done with riders like Danylo, who went from just finishing races to winning them outright. And it’s what I can do with you. If you’re ready to step up and see what you’re capable of, you can reach me here: TrainSharp Cycle Coaching www.trainsharp.co.uk

ARTICLE: https://www.trainsharp.co.uk/blogs/news/client-spotlight-eddie-dunbar-building-towards-the-tour

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