Vuelta a España stage winner Eddie Dunbar made a return to racing on Thursday, less than a month after fracturing his collarbone in that event.
He lined out in the Gran Piemonte race, riding in support of his Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling team. He confirmed to the Irish Times Thursday evening that he had no problems with his shoulder in the race and that he will ride the Il Lombardia classic on Saturday. He will be supporting designated team leader Tom Pidcock there.
Dunbar raced to a superb victory on stage 19 of the Vuelta, taking his first win in two years. That appeared to bring to an end a long period affected by injuries, but he crashed close to the finish of stage 20 and withdrew from the race.
While fractures can often take six weeks to heal, he received prompt medical care at the Santry Sports Clinic and underwent surgery.
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He started on the indoor trainer just over a week after his crash, and was recently pictured out training in Monaco with Tadej Pogačar. The Slovenian was injured earlier in the Vuelta and since declared he would end his season early.
Being able to race so soon is a boost for Dunbar and while his own form will have dropped since the Vuelta because of the time off the bike, getting some racing in before the end of the season should help him build well towards 2027.
His contract with the team runs until the end of next year. His Vuelta mountain victory was a breakthrough for his squad, marking its first Grand Tour stage win.
