Eddie Dunbar sidelined after fracturing bone in his hand

Eddie Dunbar is facing several weeks out of competition following diagnosis of a fractured bone in his hand.

The Corkman hit the deck last Wednesday during the opening stage of the Volta à la Comunitat Valenciana in Spain, his first day racing of the 2023 season. He finished the stage and while a medical examination suggested he hadn’t suffered a fracture, further pain the following morning saw him withdraw prior to the start of stage two.

His Jayco-AlUla team issued an update via social media on Tuesday, revealing that the injury was a little more complicated than initially thought. “Following his crash on stage one of #VCV2023, Eddie Dunbar has undergone further tests for pain in his hand with an X-ray revealing a small fracture,” it stated.

“As a result, he will now take some time to rest and recover over the coming weeks. Get well soon Eddie.”

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Dunbar had been due to compete in the UAE Tour, which begins on February 20th. He will now miss that event. He is unable to train on the road at present, but fortunately can use the home trainer indoors.

The injury marks a frustrating start to the season for Dunbar, who moved to the Australian squad over the winter and is a designated team leader for the first time in his career.

While his main goal is not until the Giro d’Italia in May, he wanted to show well in the early season events. He was seeking confirmation that his training has gone well and also to boost morale and confidence prior to the Italian Grand Tour.

Meanwhile, Irish junior riders were in action over the weekend at the world cyclocross championships in Hoogerheide, the Netherlands. Aine Doherty competed in the women’s race on Saturday, finishing 35th in what is her first of two years in that age group. The race was won by Canadian rider Isabella Holmgren, with her twin sister Ava 20 seconds back in second place.

Doherty had a hugely impressive showing in the recent Irish national series, winning three out of the four rounds against senior, under-23 and junior riders despite being just 16 years of age.

She was 19th in the junior women’s World Cup race held just over a fortnight ago in Benidorm.

Two Irish competitors lined out in the junior men’s race on Sunday. National champion Liam O’Brien crashed early on and suffered a mechanical issue requiring a change of bike. He lost time but continued racing, finishing 44th. He was three minutes 12 seconds behind the winner Léo Bisiaux of France.

First year junior and national championship silver medallist Joseph Mullen was 46th, nine seconds further back.

Finally Cycling Ireland recently announced that it is welcoming expressions of interests for athletes in relation to the 2023 European Games.

This year’s Games will be held in Krakow, Poland, between June 21st and July 2nd. The European Games is a multi-sport event hosted by the IOC and taking place once every four years. While it is usually separate to the European Championships, this year’s Games will serve as the championship for the two cycling events being run, namely BMX Freestyle Park and Mountainbike Cross-Country.

Elite men and women are open to applying to Cycling Ireland for consideration for the longlist for selection. CI will nominate the longlist, with the Olympic Federation of Ireland to make the final selection. The nomination criteria can be viewed on the Olympics.ie website.

Applications can be sent to HPAdmin@cyclingireland.ie, with a closing date of February 28th.