Irishman Eddie Dunbar won the eleventh stage of the Tour of Spain on Wednesday in Padron (Galicia) in a thrilling finale in which general classification leader Ben O’Connor lost more than thirty seconds to his pursuers.
The Jayco-Alula team rider, who survived a breakaway at 38, launched a lightning attack 600 metres from the finish to win ahead of Belgian Quinten Hermans and Briton Max Poole and claim his first Grand Tour victory.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in such a position, I tried to use my experience, I suffered in the last climb which was complicated […] I like this kind of finish, even after a hard race I can sprint. I knew I had to do a long sprint, so at 600 meters I said to myself it’s a bit long but it’s the moment. I can’t believe it!” reacted Dunbar, 7e of the Giro d’Italia last year, on Eurosport.
A symbolic success for the 27-year-old Irishman, who admitted to having considered ending his career last season after a series of falls and injuries.
Behind him, the last climb of the day, the Puerto Cruxeiras, with steep slopes at an average of 8.9%, caused damage to the peloton, which ended up letting a group of almost 40 riders slip away after 70 kilometres of racing.
It was at the foot of this third category pass that the Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe team accelerated to launch its leader Primoz Roglic, followed by the Spaniard Enric Mas, determined to make up some of their delay on the leader of the general classification Ben O’Connor, once again in difficulty and without a teammate at his side.
Joined in the final by the Frenchman David Gaudu, the Spaniard Mikel Landa and the Dane Mattias Skjelmose, the latter took back more than thirty seconds from the Australian, who still has a lead of more than three minutes at the top of the general classification over his two main pursuers.
After these mid-mountain stages in Galicia, the relatively flat 137.5 kilometre route between Ourense and the Manzaneda resort will offer a finish on Thursday at the top of a 1st category pass likely to open up new gaps.