Eddie Dunbar continued in Paris-Nice after his crash but was then forced out due to his injuries and has not raced since (Photo: Ivan Benedetto-Cor Vos)
Eddie Dunbar will not be part of the Pinarello Q36.5 team on the Giro d'Italia after being absent from the racing scene for almost two months since his crash at Paris-Nice.
The Irishman was always expected to go to the Italian Grand Tour, where he has performed so well in his career, as team leader. He was due to target both a stage win and a general classification performance.
After crashing on stage 2 of Paris-Nice, Dunbar was able to remount and finished the stage in the peloton. He started the TTT the following day but was well below par, being dropped by his team.
He did not start the stage the next day and he has not raced since. That absence from racing, since March 10th, means he has been missing for almost two months and has been unable to get back in time for the Giro.
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However, though missing a block of racing, and also now not going to the Giro, is bad news, the one silver lining may be that Dunbar is healty again, and in mint condition, for the Tour de France in July.
In his absence from the Giro, Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team has selected: Sjoerd Bax, Fabio Christen, David De La Cruz, Mark Donovan, David González, Chris Harper, Matteo Moschetti and Nikolas Zukowsky.
Dunbar's absence means the team goes into the race without him or Tom Pidcock in the line-up, which is a blow for them.
Dunbar finished 7th overall at the Giro three years ago and in 2024 he won two stages at La Vuelta, also finishing 11th overall despite losing time early in the race.
Now aged 29 years and having demonstrated he can put a general classification performance together across three weeks and stages - really impressively - at Grand Tours, his absence from the Giro is a major disappointment.
However, there will still be Irish interest in the race, with Ryan Mullen (NSN Cycling Team) confirmed and Darren Rafferty well in contention to be selected by EF Education-EasyPost, which has not yet confirmed its selection for the Giro.
