Leadership changes expected at Eddie Dunbar’s Team Jayco AlUla

Eddie Dunbar may have at least one more season to run on his current three-year contract with Team Jayco AlUla but the Australian team is now expected to undergo a leadership change.

Simon Yates, who has been general classification leader for most of his 11 seasons with the World Tour outfit, is now hotly tipped to leave at the end of the current season as Ben O’Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) is expected to take his place.

The departure of Yates, who won the 2018 Vuelta for the team, along with 10 Grand Tour stages so far for the Australian squad, would bring about a massive change for the squad as he has been so successful and such a clear team leader.

If Australian rider O’Connor moves into the team in place of Yates – who could be on the way to Visma-Lease a Bike – that may be good news for Dunbar as he might benefit from a shift in the make-up of the roster.

Though O’Connor is a top tier rider, who finished 4th in the Tour de France three years ago, his palmares is not in the same league as that of Yates. And that may open the door for Dunbar for a debut in the Tour next year, perhaps as a second general classification option.

The exit of Yates, and anticipated arrival of O’Connor, is not yet confirmed, though both moves have now been widely reported on in the European cycling media, including in The last news and La Gazzetta dello Sport.

The transfer of Yates to Visma-Lease a Bike would likely mark the end of his career as a clear leader of a World Tour as two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard is the undisputed leader of the Dutch squad.

However, Yates would still likely get plenty of chances to lead the teams in races where the Dane was not riding and would also be deployed as a super domestique at the Tour.

O’Connor would be likely to lead Team Jayco AlUla at the Tour, though his presence in the team would perhaps not change things too much for Dunbar.

The Irish rider is yet to race after his stage 2 crash at the Giro, which forced him out of the race, seven weeks ago. However, he is down to start the TT at the National Road Championships in Limerick tomorrow, followed by Sunday’s road race.