Eddie Dunbar appeared to not be able to believe he had done it, won, as he crossed the line of stage 11 of the Vuelta a España. The Jayco AlUla rider embraced his soigneur, then his teammate Filippo Zana, before putting his head back in his hands. His attack surprised everyone at the front of the race, but also seemingly surprised himself too.
Dunbar has had a difficult year and a half. He finished seventh at the 2023 Giro d'Italia, but the result might have been even better had he not fallen ill late in the race; he also came into the race undercooked due to a crash and required surgery in February that year.
The Irishman then crashed at the Tour of Poland in August 2023, dislocating his shoulder. Then, after a series of crashes at the Vuelta a España last year, he was forced to withdraw from the race ahead of stage five.
This year, he crashed at the Volta a la Communitat Valenciana, then at the UAE Tour, before leaving the Tour de Romandie early. Then he crashed out of this year's Giro. It has not been an ideal time.
However, on Wednesday, he finally got his luck, winning stage 11, his first Grand Tour stage win, and his first WorldTour win at that. It was a repayment for all those that kept the faith in him, but also, crucially, a bit of luck at last.
Looking at the group which entered the final kilometre together, there were more obvious picks to win, but Dunbar took his opportunity with both hands, and now can call himself a winner. Perhaps this means and end to the bad luck.
"It’s incredible," he said on TV post-race. "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.
"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. I had 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."
With a first win at the top level, a team which clearly still believes in him, and time on his side, it could be a new era for Dunbar. As Jayco AlUla posted on X (formerly known as Twitter): "We never stopped believing." Clearly, neither did Dunbar.
