Eddie Dunbar forced to withdraw from debut Tour de France with wrist injury
has been forced to withdraw from his debut
Tour de France
, with the Cork rider the sole non-starter on Saturday's stage to Laval.
Although X-rays taken Friday evening following his stage seven crash did not reveal a fracture, his Jayco AlUla team confirmed on Saturday that he was out of the race.
'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,' it said in a media announcement.
Dunbar held off on a decision until shortly before Saturday's stage, hoping that a night's rest would help in his recovery.
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However, the risk of further damage plus a likely difficulty in holding the handlebars and pulling brakes made continuing in the race a very difficult ask.
He will now undergo additional examinations to ensure the initial tests on Friday were correct.
Dunbar was one of approximately a dozen riders who fell heavily inside the final 6km of Friday's stage. Fellow Irishman
Ben Healy
also came down but had a softer landing and was able to continue in the Tour.
The withdrawal is a blow for Dunbar, who has had multiple crashes in races since turning professional. He crashed out of last year's Giro d'Italia but bounced back to win two stages in the Vuelta a España.
He was in fine form in his debut Tour, finishing fourth on Thursday's stage six, which was won by Healy, who was part of the same breakaway.
Had Dunbar not crashed out he had a good chance of chasing his own stage win. He will now refocus on upcoming events, and should be able to resume training relatively soon if he further results show the he hasn't suffered any fractures.
The Vuelta a España, which begins in Turin in Italy on August 23rd, may be a possibility.
Dunbar is in the final year of his current contract with Jayco AlUla, but it's believed he has already received at least one offer for next season, taking the pressure off.
Still, victory on a stage of the Tour de France would have boosted his salary wherever he ends up.
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