Very tall and very small

Israel Cycling Academy's newest recruit Conor Dunne is 6'8" while teammate Edwin Ávila is 5'4"

Philippe Tremblay December 10, 2018

It’s become an annual tradition for Irish cyclist Conor Dunne to pose next to someone much shorter than him, which is basically everyone. At 6’8″ Dunne towers over the rest of the pro peloton with a height more common in the NBA than in cycling. In 2019, Dunne will race with the Israel Cycling Academy and will surely share the startline with 5’10” Alex Cataford, 5’9″ Guillaume Boivin and 5’9″ Ben Perry providing a nice draft for anyone fortunate to ride in his shadow. But the teammate whose height is most contrasted with the Irish champion is Colombian Edwin Ávila who stands at 5’4″. So fittingly, thye stood next to each other for a photo which shows the considerable height difference.

New team means a new photo of course… ? ? ? Who thinks @edwinavilav will enjoy having me at @yallaACADEMY next year???? pic.twitter.com/ZwAEmlpxY6

— Conor Dunne (@conordunnealot) December 10, 2018

Dunne is the tallest professional pro rider putting even the likes of the massive Stijn Vandenberg who stands at 6’5″ to shame. Dunne was in a desperate search for a contract for 2019 after his Aqua Blue team folded and eventually landed with the ISA which is co-owned by Canadian Sylvan Adams.

The Irishman is a big body in the peloton, always easy to pick out in a breakaway. He rode in the break alongside Rob Britton at the world championships in Innsbruck and crossed the line solo for his national championship title.

As a result of his almost comical height, Dunne has posed with many cyclists he towers over. Short cyclists are much more common with the small size being a bit of an advantage when it comes to climbing. Other who have posed next to Dunne are ace climbers Esteban Chaves and Domenico Pozzovivo.