Irish mountain bike star’s jaw-dropping list of injuries as he outlines goals for 2026
A World Cup win last year and consistently strong results have given Rónán Dunne a huge platform heading into the new year.
Rónán Dunne is targeting a year free of injuries and full of wins as he looks to build on his reputation as one of the world’s top downhill mountain bike stars.
The 23-year-old bounced back from some painful bumps, bruises and breaks last year to record a famous UCI Downhill World Cup win in Les Gets, France, last August.
“Last year was the first year I got proper injuries,” he told Fitter Happier.
“The worst, I’d say, would have been a broken pelvis. I did my collarbone and fractured some stuff in my back. But they weren’t too bad.
“It was really the pelvis. It’s such a big bone, so it took a while to heal. But it healed really well, thankfully.
“I had another injury, which was liver damage, or bruising. That wasn’t too bad. It was more interesting to find out what that was.”
The fractures in his back, according to Dunne, weren’t as bad as he first feared.
“When they first said it, I thought it would be bad, but I just had a sore back for a couple of weeks and I was grand,” he explained.
“I was lucky with those ones, they weren’t terrible. But the pelvis was the big one, I suppose.
“The hardest challenges you can get in our sport are injuries and missing out. There’s that whole self-doubt thing as well.
“So that’s something I learned, that injuries are not the end of the world. It’s inevitable, really, with our sport. So it’s learning to deal with that and coming back from your injuries.”
And what a way to bounce back. Dunne became the first non-French cyclist to win the Les Gets World Cup in more than two decades, making it the highlight of his year.
“There must have been a crowd of around 50,000 there and it was the first time a non-French winner won since 2002,” he said.
“That’s the biggest crowd of any race we do. It’s the most hyped race we do. To win that one was pretty sick.”
So, how does he top that in 2026?
“Goals for this year would be to stay injury free, stay healthy, and in racing I’d definitely like to be more consistent on the World Cup wins,” he replied.
“And probably top three in the overall would be nice. I got fourth in the overall last season, and this season I missed a few rounds with injuries.
“So it was more like a good comeback year. So this year I think top three in the overall would be nice, and a few more World Cup wins.”
Dunne was speaking to Fitter Happier to launch Red Bull Zero Excuses - a 21-day Strava challenge designed to get people moving and boost their fitness goals this January, with Hyrox tickets and gym memberships among the prizes to be won.
When it comes to setting New Year’s resolutions, Dunne has a long-term goal.
“I suppose my only New Year’s resolution is to try to be better. You learn something new every year, so you can always apply that. Just try to be better, drive for more,” he said.
He is off to New Zealand over the next few days to ramp up his training, before heading to Australia at the start of next month.
“February is a busy month in terms of training. From then on you are just flat out until the start of the season,” he said.
Dunne would love to see more Irish people take up the sport.
“It’s just great craic. The sport itself is so enjoyable. The adrenaline you get out of it, I don’t think a lot of people these days experience that kind of adrenaline,” he said.
“Mountain biking, the adrenaline you get off it is pretty insane.
“You are outside constantly, and it’s such an accessible sport, especially in Ireland where there are so many spots to do it.
“If you want to go abroad it gets even better, with the Alps and Pyrenees.
“It’s a very social sport as well. The main thing is having the craic. That’s why we do it.
“Obviously it’s our jobs, but that’s the main reason why we got into it, the enjoyment of it. It’s healthy for you, but the main thing is the enjoyment you get out of it.”
# For more information on how to take part in Red Bull Zero Excuses, follow @redbullire on Instagram or TikTok, or visit the Red Bull website.
