Irish rider Eddie Dunbar has been named on the Axeon Hagens Berman line-up for Il Trofeo Città di San Vendemiano – Gran Premio Industria e Commercio in San Vendemiano, Treviso today. The 171.8-kilometre race features six laps of a 9.3 kilometre circuit followed by four laps of a 29-kilometre circuit that includes a short, but steep, climb.
Dunbar will start alongside Chris Lawless, twin brothers Ivo and Rui Oliveira and Logan Owen. Dunbar, Lawless and Owen have all won road races this year, contributing to Axeon Hagens Berman’s six UCI victories.
Lawless, the British national criterium champion, is coming off a win at the ZLM Tour while riding for his national team. Dunbar, the Under 23 Irish national time trial champion, won the Under 23 edition of Ronde van Vlaanderen, also while riding for his national team. Owen took a stage of Volta ao Alentejo for the team’s first win in Europe in February.
“It is a good circuit for Eddie,” Axeon Hagens Berman Sport Director Koos Moerenhout said. “He has proven to be strong on the climbs and Chris and Logan can also be there if they can survive the hills. It will all depend on how the race evolves. The climb on the circuit is only a little more than a kilometer, but quite steep. It is normally the decisive factor. But if the group stays compact or relatively close to each other, then we will have different options.”
The race has been won in the past by amongst others Ivan Basso, Sacha Modolo, Simon Clarke and Gianni Moscon. Last year’s was won by Simone Consonni who has since signed for World Tour team UAE Team Emirates.
