“Since the Vuelta last year, I think I’ve had seven or eight crashes… It takes its toll” – Eddie Dunbar emotional after the success on the 11th stage of the Vuelta a Espana 2024
After a slow start to his 2024 Vuelta a Espana, Eddie Dunbar came to life on stage 11, making it into the breakaway and then surprising the fast riders with a brilliant late attack to take his first Grand Tour stage win.
“Sometimes it’s funny how it goes… I had a really bad start to the race and lost a lot of time. I came here to be the overall winner, but I realised pretty quickly that I didn’t have the legs for it,” the Irishman recalled in his interview after the stage. “My preparation was really good, so then it was about re-evaluating everything and the stage win became an opportunity that I hadn’t expected.”
“To be honest, it’s been a while since I was in a situation like this. I just used my experience. I struggled a bit with this steep climb, then I realised that everyone else was too. I had Pipo (Zana) on the road, so I could kind of fade into the background. I just played my cards and gambled,” continues Team Jayco AlUla climber. “I know that in a finish like this, I can sprint after a tough race, but I knew I had to hold on for a long time. 600 metres to go, that’s quite a long time for a sprint! But I had to do that… Unbelievable!”
“It’s incredible. Since the Vuelta last year, I think I’ve had seven or eight crashes. And of course that takes its toll, physically but also mentally. I’ve often thought that I might not have a future in the sport because of the crashes and injuries I’ve had. When I injured my left shoulder after the Giro this year, I thought that could be the nail in the coffin for my cycling career. But I have incredible support around me,” he concludes emotionally. “My girlfriend is always there for me and I have an incredible circle of friends and family. They support me a lot too. It’s taken a long time, but to give it back to all of them today means a lot to me.”
=https://twitter.com/eurosport/status/1828821520430301402″ data-service=”twitter”>
