An Irish flag will be present in the race for the crown of the Tour of the Alps (April 21-25), which will be up for grabs by Juan Pedro Lopez, the 2024 winner announced at the start in San Lorenzo Dorsino in less than three weeks.

Eddie Dunbar of Team Jayco-AlUla will attempt to succeed where other famous compatriots have not: securing at least one stage win on the roads of the Tour of the Alps. Right in Trentino, the Irishman experienced one of the best days of his career at the 2023 Giro d'Italia, when he narrowly missed a stage win on the mythical Monte Bondone. The Jayco AlUla rider, seventh overall in that Giro, was unable to repeat himself as a general classification contender last season, though he did conclude with two stage wins at the Vuelta a España.

An impressive calling card for a race like the Tour of the Alps, which has climbing and mountains in its DNA. The 28-year-old from Banteer has marked the race of the Euregio Tyrol, South Tyrol, and Trentino with a red circle, an objective for the first part of a season that will not see him as a protagonist at the Giro d'Italia.

"I raced the Tour of the Alps once in my career and since then I've always wanted to return," Dunbar said. "I fondly remember the 2022 stage finishing in Lana. A very tough day with many climbs and a very fast descent before the finish. That day I felt very good and thought I could aim for the win. This year the opportunity to return has presented itself, and I can't wait to start. I'm in excellent condition, I've had a good start to the season, and once this block of races is over, I'll focus on studying the route and stages."

In recent years, Team Jayco AlUla has often been a protagonist at the Tour of the Alps. In 2021, Simon Yates won, while last year Chris Harper was just a whisker away from a stage win and the green Melinda leader's jersey in Cortina on the Wine Road, while Alessandro De Marchi managed to win the following day in Stans after a long breakaway.

Harper and De Marchi themselves, along with Dutch rider Koen Bouwman, will be Dunbar's domestiques in the race organized by GS Alto Garda. "We're going to the Tour of the Alps with a strong and ambitious team, composed of many riders who will then be at the start of the Giro d'Italia. It's a challenging race that must be lived and interpreted day by day."

However, Eddie Dunbar doesn't shy away when it comes to objectives. "I would like to focus on the general classification. The #TotA is a very competitive race with many high-quality riders at the start. It's always nice to test yourself in races of this level."