Dunbar bursts to brilliant Vuelta a Espana stage win
Ireland's Eddie Dunbar won stage 19 of the Vuelta a Espana from a breakaway to put a difficult year behind him on the slopes of Penas Blancas.
Eddie Dunbar of Ireland claimed victory in the 19th stage of the Vuelta a Espana on Friday, while Spaniard Enric Mas secured his overall lead in the race with just one mountain stage remaining before the final Sunday. The 30-year-old Dunbar overtook Colombian Santiago Buitrago with just 300 meters left in the 210-kilometer mountainous stage from Velez-Malaga to Penas Blancas.
Dunbar expressed surprise at his win, stating that he didn't expect to win and had initially felt unwell. Buitrago launched an attack in the final two kilometers, distancing himself from Dunbar and the three other breakaway riders. However, Dunbar mounted a counterattack in the final kilometer and crossed the line 14 seconds ahead of Buitrago, who is leading the King of the Mountains competition.
Dunbar's British team-mate Thomas Gloag placed third, 23 seconds behind. The initial 16-man breakaway managed to escape around halfway through the chaotic stage but broke up on the final climb to the finish. Mas comfortably maintained his 1-minute 37-second lead over the top contenders, including four-time former champion Primoz Roglic, as they crossed the line together.
Both Roglic's Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe team and ENF Education-Easypost's Richard Carapaz struggled to maintain any pressure on Mas, who aims for his first Vuelta title after three previous second-place finishes.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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