Eddie Dunbar forced to withdraw from Tour de France after Friday's crash
Dunbar came down hard in a crash inside six kilometres to go on Friday's stage, hitting the deck when a number of riders ahead of him were involved in a sudden pileup. While he was able to remount and make it to the finish, he underwent medical tests due to pain in his left wrist and elsewhere.
Those checks were inconclusive and his Jayco AlUla team decided to wait until Saturday morning before making a decision.
A team spokesperson told RTÉ Sport before the stage that he would not be taking part and then confirmed that officially as the riders rolled out of Saint-Méen-le-Grand.
"Following a crash in the final kilometres of yesterday's stage, Dunbar has been suffering with pain in his wrist and a decision was taken to stop, for his safety," Jayco AlUla said in a media announcement.
The team subsequently told RTÉ Sport that he will undergo further examinations to confirm that nothing is broken. "The initial X-ray didn't show anything," the spokesperson said, "but we want to be sure so he'll have another test."
Dunbar is one of the most talented Irish riders in the peloton but has also had more than his share of misfortune during his career. He crashed out of last year's Giro d'Italia but returned for the Vuelta a Espana, earning two superb stage victories.
He had started well in his debut Tour, taking a fine fourth place on Thursday's sixth stage.
That was won by fellow Irishman Ben Healy, who was involved in the same breakaway as Dunbar before going solo 42km from the finish line.
Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) also came down in the same crash yesterday, but was relatively unharmed. He started Saturday's stage to Laval, which is expected to end in a bunch sprint.
It is not yet clear when Dunbar will resume competition, with the outcome of his upcoming medical to inform that decision.
The Vuelta a Espana is a possibility. It begins on 23 August.
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