“I didn't ride my bike at all for three months this year" - Tearful Eddie Dunbar celebrates return to the top
CyclingFriday, 11 September 2026 at 18:03
Eddie Dunbar has had a nightmare year up to the Vuelta a España and even in the Spanish race he didn't have the sensations he hoped for. But from nowhere, and against his own feedback, the Irishman showed his very best legs on the Alto de Estepona, winning the summit finish of stage 19.
Dunbar did not feel like it was a day for him, and even being in the breakaway looked to be an unlikely scenario after a very fast first hour of racing.
“After fifty or sixty kilometers, I even told the team over the radio that it wasn't my day—that I wasn't feeling good. Yet, I ended up in the breakaway, and my legs started feeling a bit better there," the 30-year old said in a post-race interview.
On what was a violent day of racing, only those carrying good form and legs had a shot at being in the day's breakaway. The several attacks from GC riders further pushed the pace on the day, and in the end Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team had three men in the breakaway: Dunbar, Spanish national champion Marcel Campubrí, and Tom Gloag.
“Having two teammates with me in the breakaway made me feel a bit more at ease. It allowed me to pace myself and relax a little. Having Gloag there on the final climb made a huge difference, too. He was incredibly strong today, I actually thought he was going to win," Dunbar admits.
Eddie Dunbar at the 2026 Vuelta a España
The winning attack
And when the action kicked off on the 18-kilometer long Estepona ascent, it did appear as if Gloag was the team's best option. After Santiago Buitrago's initial attack, the Briton was the only one able to respond. But Dunbar and Urko Berrade then bridged across. Dunbar's pacing proved to be the right tactic.
“I have to be a bit more careful with my efforts than Buitrago. He’s been riding strongly throughout the Vuelta, and I’d love to have his legs, for sure. I knew I had one bullet to fire, and I wanted to use it to win the stage".
"When they made their move on the steep section with about twelve kilometers to go, I deliberately avoided going into the red. I managed to get back on terms, which gave me a real boost of motivation".
Dunbar was riding near the limit, but saved his one major acceleration for when he caught Buitrago inside the final kilometer, minutes after the Colombian had attacked.
"The last kilometer went by so fast—I can't remember a thing about it.” Dunbar was simply the strongest at that point in time from the two, and rode on to his first stage win since his triumphs at the 2024 edition.
Read also
Nightmare year for Dunbar ends on a high
For the Irishman, it was a specially emotional victory due to the roller-coaster year he has experienced. After moving to Pinarello, he would find more liberty to be a leader. But a training crash in March saw him suffer an ankle fracture that kept him off the bike all the way into June.
“I didn't ride my bike at all for three months this year. I really couldn't imagine even being here, let alone contending for the stage win.” But after a heavy racing period, he has returned to good form at the Vuelta, putting in an exhibition that marks a new chapter in his career.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Let's hope it's been mangled in translationwrsty11-09-2026
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