Eddie Dunbar has been one of the most unfortunate riders in the pro peloton, with several crashes in recent seasons that have derailed his progress; all that coming on top of a stint at Ineos/Sky where he was undervalued and could not get a start in a Grand Tour.
However, at La Vuelta today all the hardship and frustration - and his class - crystalised into one beautiful moment when he victory on stage 11 into Campus Tecnológico Cortizo Padron; the first time he had crossed the line in 1st place since the U23 Tour of Flanders back in 2017.
But today, the past was a foreign country for the 27-year-old from Banteer. And he was overcome with emotion immediately after the finish, saying when he crashed out of the Giro earlier this year he thought, not for the first time, that his cycling career may be gone.
Advertisement
"This year after the Giro when I injured my ACL I thought that was… I thought that could be the nail in the coffin in terms of my cycling career," he said, adding the physical and mental toll of so many crashes in the last 12 months caused him to seriously question himself.
"I have incredible support around me. My girlfriend, Niamh, supported me, she’s always there for me. I have an incredible group of family and friends, and the team backed me. It has been a long time coming, but to repay all of them today, it means a lot."
Dunbar also said his bad start to this Vuelta, when he faltered on the climbs and lost time, only served to make this win all the sweeter.
Related News
"I had a really bad start to the race, and I lost a lot of time. I came here to ride GC, and I learned pretty quick that, yeah, I probably didn't have the legs to do it," he said in a refreshingly honest post-stage interview.
"My preparation was really good here. So then it was kind of just reassess and go for a stage. Today came an opportunity that I didn't expect because I tried hard at the start to get in the break.
"I just thought that my legs were gone, and then all of a sudden the big group went and I thought me and Pippo (Zana) rode very well in the break, and we were really smart," he said of a stage where he was in a 32-man breakaway, before attacking the remains of the group in the final kilometre to win solo.
"I actually can't believe it. It's been a while since I've been in a scenario like this, if I'm honest, and I just used my experience. I know on a finish like this, after a hard race, I can sprint but I knew I had to go long.
"So going with 600 to go, yeah, it's probably a bit long for a sprint, but that's what I had to do to win and, yeah, I can't believe it.
"It’s incredible. Since the Vuelta last year I think I’ve had seven or eight crashes. Physically that takes its toll, but also mentally that takes it toll on me as well. I’ve had numerous times in my head that I might not have a future in the sport because of the crashes and the injuries."
