While all eyes are on Chris Froome to make his long-awaited comeback in the UAE Tour, his teammate Eddy Dunbar continues to fly under the radar despite an impressive early season start.

The 23-year-old finished sixth overall at the Tour de la Provence earlier this month and earned high praise for his fifth-place finish on the stage to Chalet Reynard. With no sprinters on Team Ineos, the Irish rider has several capable domestiques to protect him.

"I had a good run in Provence earlier this month. The feeling was good and I recovered throughout the week. The winter went well and today will be a good test to open the legs for tomorrow and see how I'm doing," Dunbar told Cycling News at the start of the second stage.

Monday will climax with an uphill finish at Hatta Dam, but tough challenges await on stages 3 and 5.

"Today is pretty important. Last year, barring crashes, the top 30 or so riders had roughly the same time, so we can't afford to lose a few seconds. We'll see what happens

"I don't mind the heat. Believe it or not, I'm from Ireland. But the heat doesn't bother me too much. I hope I've been feeling better the last few days. ......."

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Ineos does not profess to be focused on the Grand Tour, but their belief in targeting three weeks of racing often gives opportunities to riders lower in the pecking order. Dunbar is an example of this, with several top-10 finishes in the 2019 GC.

However, this is his first chance to lead a team in a WorldTour stage race.

"Being in Ineos, a lot of the riders will be focused on the Grand Tours. That leaves some races free, but it is also important and part of the World Tour. It's good to compete against other riders and test yourself in these races."

Stages 3 and 5 will climax with a summit finish at Jebel Hafit. This time the climb will be made twice due to road construction, whereas last year it was only made once. This climb will no doubt make or break this year's race.

Dunbar, who often appears relaxed, gave his assessment of the climb just before joining his teammates on stage and signing off for the race.

"I've never run it, but I've seen the Youtube videos, I've seen the Youtube videos, I've seen the videos, I've seen the videos, I've seen the videos, I've seen the videos.