"I thought something could happen... And 200 meters later I was on the ground" - Eddie Dunbar returns after Tour crash
Cycling
Eddie Dunbar was optimistic his Tour de France campaign would be a success. But the ambitions were quickly shattered during seventh stage with finish on Mur de Bretagne. Dunbar made it into a select group of top GC riders and stage favourites, but a sudden crash took him not only chances at GC result, but also whole race. It was such a strange moment, the Irishman had to watch back to understand what had gone wrong.
"I don't usually watch the crashes afterward, but this time I had to because I couldn't get them out of my head," he admits in an interview with Marca. "I remember thinking at that moment, 'Everything feels dangerous all the time.' There were only 25 riders in the group, but the nervousness was noticeable."
"Of course, it's important to be well positioned there, but with so few people, I didn't think there would be so much stress, especially on such a wide road," he said. "In the video, you can see that at one point I even backed off and gave myself some space, because I already thought something could happen. And 200 meters later, I was on the ground."
The Irishman is still unclear about what exactly caused the crash: "I'm not sure what happened. Some people mentioned a puncture. The bike went in a strange direction, catching me off guard. I may have braked incorrectly or the heat had a role to play, as it was around 35 degrees. It was unfortunate," he concludes.
It was immediately clear the race was over for Dunbar who had a sharp wrist pain: "I felt a lot of pain. I hurt my hand and the next day I couldn't even hold the handlebars. But it is what it is. Now I just hope I can finish the season well."
Not all is lost though. After the Norwegian stage race, Dunbar aims for Vuelta a Espana where he has two stage wins to defend from last year. And had he not lost a lot of time in the first week, who knows what was possible in GC. "The heat hit me hard in Granada. This year, with the northern climate, it will be much better for me," Dunbar sounds optimistic.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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