Eddie Dunbar (Jayco AlUla) won’t start stage 3 of the Giro d’Italia after crashing on the second day and suffering a serious injury to a knee tendon and bodily abrasions.
The Irishman was involved in the innocuous crash alongside sprinter Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike) and teammate Filippo Zana on the entry to a roundabout 62km from the finish, with the actual moment of him hitting the deck not caught by television cameras.
“Kooij crashed and it took out Eddie and Zana. Once again, it was another crash where Eddie was involved but it wasn’t his fault, like in UAE," said Jayco AlUla team manager Brent Copeland to Cyclingnews at the start of stage 3 of the Giro.
However, Dunbar was spotted limping after the incident before eventually remounting his bike and struggling on the summit finish to Oropa, losing 5:56 to Tadej Pogačar as he crossed the line way down in 51st on the day.
Despite managing to see out the stage, his team Jayco-AlUla announced this morning that he wouldn’t be able to start the third day from Novara to Fossano.
“Unfortunately following a crash on stage two of the Giro d’Italia, Eddie Dunbar will not start today’s third stage,” read a statement from the team.
“The Irishman was able to finish the stage, but after further examinations by the team doctor, the decision has been made to withdraw the 27-year-old from the race due to a sustained injury under his right kneecap and bodily abrasions.”
Speaking to Copeland revealed the severity of Dunbar's injury with the Irishman set to be stuck with a straight leg for the next few days to allow his tendon to heal properly.
“We don’t know what exactly it was on the road, but it must have been something sharp that cut his knee. The tendon just below the knee was sticking out," Copeland said.
"While he was riding, he was warmed up and didn’t feel it too badly but once he stopped and got back to the hotel, the medical staff saw that the tendon was exposed, and they saw immediately it was going to be a really difficult day for him to start.
"They checked him this morning and he wasn’t able to bend his knee. He’s got to keep his leg straight for at least five days to let it heal properly. It’s really exposed so I think he must have fallen on a piece of glass or something.”
Dunbar was seventh at last year’s Giro d’Italia and had been sat fourth for the opening two weeks until he lost time on the summit finish to Tre Cime di Lavaredo and Monte Lussari time trial.
He’s had a run of bad luck in the past few seasons with injury and illness often interrupting his preparations for big races. Just this season, he suffered his second broken hand in as many years at the UAE Tour and also only managed to finish one of the five stage races he had started this year.
“I don’t want to say that he’s used to it, but this morning I had a chat with him. his morale was better than expected and he’s already talking about the races when he can come back," said Copeland.
"His form was good, we saw on the first day his confidence was back. Yesterday would have been a great day for him. He’s got the condition and he’s already thinking about the next races he can ride.”
Dunbar is just the second rider to abandon this year's Giro d'Italia after Robert Gesink (Visma-Lease a Bike) was unable to start stage 2 and left the race with a broken hand.
He now leaves Luke Plapp and Zana to try and salvage a GC run for the Australian team, but they both sit a long way back from Pogačar in the lead in 18th and 21st respectively and over two minutes down. They do have Caleb Ewan as a sprint option also.
Dunbar's return isn't likely to be too far away but his Grand Tour ambitions will be put on hold again for another season with the Tour de France not on his programme.
“If he’s able to recover quickly, I would say maybe the Dauphiné," responded the team manager when asked about the Irishman's possible return.
“I don’t think he’ll ride the Tour, it’s more likely to be further down the line.”
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