Eddie Dunbar Records Incredible Vuelta Stage Win With Stunning Late Move

Eddie Dunbar made a decisive late burst to take a stunning victory on stage 11 of the Vuelta A Espana, recording the first grand tour stage win of his career.

The Cork rider was among a large breakaway group of riders in pursuit of the victory when he made a bold move with less than a kilometre to go.

Dunbar's dash for the line took many of his opponents by surprise and as the sprinters sized each other up, nobody reacted in time to reel in the flying Irishman.

"Dunbar has flown the coop," said Carlton Kirby on Eurosport commentary.

He pedalled gallantly for the remainder of the race, and stretched his arms out wide after claiming one of the finest wins of his career. Watch the closing moments of the stage below.

Eddie Dunbar steals the show 🇮🇪🔥

A late surging attack by Eddie Dunbar, sees the Irishman win Stage 11 of La Vuelta! His first top-level win in Team Jayco AlUla colours 💪#LaVuelta pic.twitter.com/c9mfwhX5Wv

— Eurosport (@eurosport) August 28, 2024

The 27-year-old Team Jayco–AlUla cyclist worked his way into a breakaway group during the 166.5 kilometre stage and seized his opportunity with a determined and opportunistic move.

Dunbar came into the tour with general classification aims but lost time on some of the big mountain stages, dropping down the rankings to where he sits now in 18th.

"It's weird how it goes sometimes, I had a really bad start to the race and lost loads of time," he said afterwards.

"I came here to race GC and I realised pretty quickly that I didn't have the legs to do it. My preparation was really good here so it was a case of reassessing and just going for a stage."

📮 POST-STAGE REACTION
💬 @EddieDunbar
1️⃣st place 🏅
🇪🇸 #LaVuelta24 pic.twitter.com/jhEPxvFVBn

— GreenEDGE Cycling (@GreenEDGEteam) August 28, 2024

The Banteer man has had numerous crashes and injuries throughout his career, revealing that he often questioned his future in the sport.

"I can't believe it," he said.