Eddie Dunbar may be out of Tirreno Adriatico, where he looked in great form and was in contention for a final podium finish, but the outlook following his stage 5 crash could have been a lot worse.
Having sustained tricky injuries, including fractures and concussion, during crashes in recent years, the Team Jayco AlUla rider suffered whiplash in the group crash with just under 40km to go today.
Dunbar was able to get back to his feet after the fall, but was unable to continue. He looked like he had hurt his back, with his shorts ripped, suggesting he'd fallen on his back or been hit from behind by another rider.
Though he was forced to abandon, and give up his 7th place overall ahead of tomorrow's uphill finish, Dunbar has not been diagnosed with any broken bones, which is a relief.
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It means he can, hopefully, recover more quickly that he would from a fracture and get back into competition before he loses his current form.
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"Following a crash on stage 5 of Tirreno Adriatico, Eddie Dunbar was taken to hospital for further checks," Team Jayco AlUla said in a brief update on Friday evening.
"X-rays ruled out any breaks but the 28-year-old has suffered whiplash and ongoing discomfort. Following team medical advice, Dunbar will go home to rest and recover properly."
The 28-year-old had showed excellent form with 13th on the pan flat stage 1 TT, which would not normally be suited to a pure climber. He then moved further up the general standings to 7th setting out this morning, with another few GC climbers ahead of him.
However, he crashed out of the race just before it reached the terrain that would have best suited him, with the hors cat climb to Frontignano to finish tomorrow's stage 6; a 7.6km ascent averaging 7.9 per cent gradient.
Having won two stages at La Vuelta last year, including the queen stage, tomorrow would have been the first time Dunbar got to show his climbing form in 2025. And against the background of his TT ride, many Irish fans hoped for big things from him.
However, though today's incident is a set-back for him, it comes very early in the season and with no broken bones to report, the recovery may be quick.
