Schönbacher found a new team, Puch, and rode the 1981 Tour de France, finishing 112th out of 121 cyclists. During the race, when it became clear he would not finish in last place, he jokingly said that had not expected that there would be a worse cyclist than him. In 1985, Schönbacher was hit by a car in Australia, and had to end his professional career. He had a brief comeback in 1987, when he rode the 1987 UCI Road World Championships for a private sponsor.