"Sent me flying..." - How a scooter collision has cut months off Eddie Dunbar's first season at Pinarello

Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team has conducted several high-profile signings this winter and boosted its level significantly. However not all have had the best outcome, as seen by Irish duo Sam Bennett and Eddie Dunbar who have both had serious health issues comes as big obstacles in the 2026 season. Dunbar is expected to be out of action for a whole five months due to an unexpected incident at home.

Dunbar signed with Pinarello as a GC hopeful, a rider who in the past as had stand-out performances such as his two stage wins at the 2024 Vuelta a España. Alongside Chris Harper, both climbers departed Jayco and joined the Swiss team where they'd find more leadership opportunities. But Dunbar has not yet been able to take advantage of them.

The Irishman raced the AlUla Tour and the UAE Tour early in the season but without notable results. He withdrew from Paris-Nice due to a crash and then only a few days later in the Nice area he had an accident whilst out on his bike.

“I was just moving around on my city bike. A scooter came from my left side, did not respect the right of way, and basically sent me flying," Dunbar shared with The Irish Times.

"At first, I didn’t think it was anything too serious. But after a few seconds, my ankle started turning blue and I immediately understood that something was wrong.”

What might not have sounded like a serious accident turned out to be. In fact in a blink of an eye, most of Dunbar's season ended up going down the drain. The 29-year old suffered injuries that kept him away from racing and training for months, removing his from his initially planned Giro d'Italia presence.

The outcome was brutal: Seven weeks off the bike. For a professional cyclist, even in the off-season it is rare for riders to spend such an amount of time inactive. But the ankle injury proved to be too complicated, and so though he is now actively recovering from it and back on the bike, he has had to start from zero once again.

“There is still a mountain of work in front of me before I can be competitive again. I know that. But at least now I am back doing what I need to do.” A return is expected, at best, in August. Dunbar looks to still make his return in time for La Vuelta where he would have the opportunity to save his season, whilst potentially adding a few races in Spain beforehand.

“The Vuelta is a race I really love. I have some great memories there and, of course, I would love to be back. But first I need to earn that opportunity through training. There are no shortcuts," he concluded.