Eddie Dunbar has claimed the first Grand Tour stage win of his career following a perfectly-timed sprint at the end of stage 11 of La Vuelta.
The Team Jayco–AlUla rider was part of a large breakaway that held their advantage at the end of the hilly 166.5-kilometre stage that started and finished in Padron.
The 27-year-old from Cork sprung from the group in the final kilometre, taking stronger sprinters by surprise to claim a phenomenal victory.
When Dunbar accelerated ahead of the lead group, no one could keep up. Despite his small build, he successfully fended off the more powerful riders from the day's breakaway.
Dunbar triumphed over Belgian Quinten Hermans of Alpecin-Deceuninck, who secured second place, and Britain's Max Poole from Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL, who finished third.
Dunbar spent five years at Team Sky until 2023, where he struggled to make an impact, while injuries have taken their toll, with the reigning Irish time trial champion saying after today's win that he had begun to doubt whether he had a future in the sport.
"It's incredible. Since the Vuelta last year I think I have had seven or eight crashes. Physically that takes its toll, but it has taken a toll mentally too.
"I’ve had numerous times in my head where I’ve thought I might not have a future in this sport, due to the crashes and the injuries I’ve had.
"This year after the Giro, when I injured my ACL, I thought that could be the nail in the coffin in terms of my cycling career," added Dunbar, who backed his long-distance sprint finish today.
"It's weird how it goes sometimes. I had a really bad start to the race. I came here to race GC (general classification), but learned quick that I didn't have the legs to do it.
"Today came an opportunity that I didn't expect. I tried hard at the start to get in the break, thought my legs had gone, but then big break went," he said. "Here we are, I can't believe it.
"It’s been a while since I have been in a scenario like this to be honest. I struggled on the steep climb near the finish, but everyone was. I played my card and gambled and backed my finish... I knew I had to go long.
More to follow
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