A double stage winner at Vuelta 2024, Eddie Dunbar has endured a more frustrating time of it on this year's race. And that did not look like it was about to change about 8km from the finish line at the top of Alto de El Morredero today, Wednesday.
The 28-year-old Team Jayco AlUla rider began to falter in the general classification group, before the gap between him and the riders at the back of that group began to grow. Dunbar was properly detached, as has been the case on this race, after about 1km of trying to hang on before slipping backwards.
However, today Dunbar performed better as he appeared to hold his shape just off the back of the big names - including a couple of very young up and comers. Though he cut a disappointed figure as he crossed the line, he made the best of it and was at least close to the front in the final today, which represents an improvement.
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Dunbar eventually finished in 11th place, after his best climbing performance - certainly his best result on a hilly finish - since the race began almost three weeks ago. Over that final 8km, Dunbar lost 2:38 to 21-year-old stage winner Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe), who attacked the group with 3km to go to win solo.
It was perhaps disappointing to see young riders like Pellizzari and 23-year-old Matthew Riccitello (Israel-Premier Tech) outclimb Dunbar, an older and more experience rider who was expected to come to this race and nail a stage win.
However, his hoped-for return to the shape he was in at the Tour de France, where a stage 7 crash forced him out, has not quite come to pass. And though he definitely looked stronger today, despite being dropped when he would have hoped to be the one going up the road, he is now running out of time to take something from this race.
Tomorrow's stage 18 TT in Valladolid is flat and does not look like much of an opportunity for the Irishman, even if he has posted the best TT rides of his career this season. The fact the TT has been shortened from 27.2km to 12.2km - due to expected pro-Palestine protests - means the course will suit him even less.
And once the test is out of the way, there follows Friday's stage 19, with very little climbing, before the last chance for climber Dunbar of this race; some 164.8km to the 12.4km HC summit finish of Bola del Mundo. Puerto de Navacerrada on Saturday.
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Dunbar famously won the penultimate stage at last year's race, riding away from the GC group on Picón Blanco. After a stop-start season, with crashes again halting his progress, Dunbar would need a win on Saturday to rescue his Vuelta, indeed his season.
Today's stage saw some gaps in the general classification group in the final push to the line. And though those gaps were modest, the talking point was perhaps how sluggish Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) looked in the final sprint, especially as he was expected to attack on the final climb today.
When everyone else hesitates, it's time to show off your legs. Giulio Pellizzari wins the Morredero stage with a solo effort. Relive the stage 1️⃣7️⃣ in 1'
Cuando todos dudan, aparecen las piernas y la astucia. Giulio Pellizzari se lleva la etapa del Morredero con una exhibición… pic.twitter.com/i924ivNVbE
— La Vuelta (@lavuelta) September 10, 2025
After Pellizzari attacked and won the stage, it was Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) who proved next strongest; finishing 2nd at 16 seconds, with Jai Hindley (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) 3rd at 18 seconds. And then came race leader Vingegaard; 4th at 20 seconds.
João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), who is 2nd overall, was another two seconds back in 5th place and he now trails Vingegaard overall by 50 seconds. Pidcock is next, in a very impressive 3rd overall - by far his best Grand Tour ride to date - at 2:28. Team mates Hindley and best young rider, Pellizzari, are 4th and 5th, at 3:04 and 3:51 respectively.
Tomorrow's TT will put more shape on the final general classification of this race, before Saturday's final climb decides it. Dunbar will hope his legs come good, that today's battling ride can be improved upon, as he is now under pressure to produce a big result.
