Double Vuelta a España stage winner Eddie Dunbar is targeting the Spanish event in his bid to return from not one but two injuries this year.
The Swiss Q36.5 professional crashed on stage two of Paris-Nice on March 9th and withdrew after stage three. He was then involved in a freak accident at his base in Monaco on March 12th.
“I was just moving around on my city bike,” he said. “A scooter came from my left side, did not respect the right of way, and basically sent me flying. 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.”
Dunbar had originally been targeting the Giro d’Italia, which began on May 8th. However, that objective became impossible due to his injury, which forced him to spend seven weeks completely off the bike.
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Things have since improved and after three weeks back training on the road, he is starting to make proper progress.
“There is still a mountain of work in front of me before I can be competitive again,” he said. “I know that. But at least now I am back doing what I need to do.”
Dunbar and his team are considering when he might make his comeback to racing, with the Vuelta a Burgos and the Clásica San Sebastián possibilities. However, he emphasises that he needs to make gradual, continuous progress, making it difficult now to pinpoint a return date.
All going to plan, though, the Vuelta a España is the ideal goal. He won stages 11 and 20 in 2024.
“The Vuelta is a race I really love,” the Banteer rider said. “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.”
