Eddie Dunbar won stage 19 of the Vuelta a España on Friday with a perfectly judged late move on Peña Blancas.

The Pinarello Q36.5 rider caught Santiago Buitrago inside the final kilometre and powered clear on the steep closing ramps. It was Dunbar’s third Vuelta stage victory and his first win in four years.

The result also marked Pinarello Q36.5’s first Grand Tour stage success. The team added further reward when Tom Gloag finished third, his best WorldTour result.

Enric Mas finished with the main favourites and kept the red jersey before Saturday’s stage 20. Primož Roglič tried to unsettle the race, but he could not distance the Movistar leader.

Eddie Dunbar wins from reduced breakaway

Dunbar made the decisive break after a large move formed with around 111km remaining. The group included 20 riders before the final climb started to split it apart.

Pinarello Q36.5 placed three riders in the break, with Dunbar joined by Gloag and Marcel Camprubí. Andreas Leknessund, Kevin Vermaerke and Guillaume Martin were also among the attackers.

The longest stage of the race ended on Peña Blancas, an 18.8km climb averaging 6.5%. The ascent also included much steeper ramps, especially near the finish.

Buitrago attacked with 13km remaining and helped force the final selection. Dunbar, Gloag and Urko Berrade bridged across, creating a four-rider lead group.

The quartet held a 44-second advantage with 7km to climb. Buitrago then attacked again at 1.8km to go and quickly opened a gap.

Dunbar measured his effort and closed the margin under the flamme rouge. The double-digit gradients inside the final kilometre brought Buitrago back within reach.

Dunbar then surged past and rode clear to the line. Buitrago finished second at 14 seconds, while Gloag crossed third at 23 seconds.

After the stage, Dunbar said it was “incredible” and admitted he had not expected the result. He said he had told the team earlier that he was not feeling good.

He credited his teammates in the break for helping him manage the day. He also said having Gloag in the final group gave the team extra security.

Dunbar added that Buitrago’s attacks were extremely strong. He said he needed to save one decisive effort for the stage win.

Mas keeps Vuelta lead as rivals finish together

Behind the break, Movistar, EF Education-EasyPost and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe helped control the reduced peloton. The general classification contenders then took over on the climb.

Roglič and Richard Carapaz both tried to create separation. Neither rider could break the leading group apart.

Mas, Roglič, Carapaz, Oscar Onley and Felix Gall all finished together. The top five on general classification therefore remained unchanged.

Mas now leads Roglič by 1:37 before the penultimate day. Gall sits third at 3:01, with Carapaz fourth at 5:17 and Onley fifth at 6:03.

Saturday’s stage 20 is set to decide the direction of the race. The route includes five categorised climbs, including three first-category ascents and one hors-categorie climb.

Stage 19 result

• 1. Eddie Dunbar (Irl) Pinarello Q36.5, 5:00:54
• 2. Santiago Buitrago (Col) Bahrain Victorious, +14s
• 3. Tom Gloag (GBr) Pinarello Q36.5, +23s
• 4. Urko Berrade (Esp) Kern Pharma, +44s
• 5. Marcel Camprubí (Esp) Pinarello Q36.5, +1:44
• 6. Andreas Leknessund (Nor) Uno-X Mobility, +2:01
• 7. Guillaume Martin (Fra) Groupama-FDJ, +2:11
• 8. Chris Hamilton (Aus) Picnic PostNL, +2:39
• 9. Kevin Vermaerke (USA) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, +3:03
• 10. Sergio Samitier (Esp) Cofidis, +3:17

General classification after stage 19

• 1. Enric Mas (Esp) Movistar Team, 62:52:03
• 2. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, +1:37
• 3. Felix Gall (Aut) Decathlon CMA CGM, +3:01
• 4. Richard Carapaz (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost, +5:17
• 5. Oscar Onley (GBr) Netcompany Ineos, +6:03
• 6. Jakob Omrzel (Slo) Bahrain Victorious, +7:06
• 7. Clément Berthet (Fra) Groupama-FDJ United, +7:57
• 8. Cristián Rodríguez (Spa) XDS Astana, +8:21
• 9. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek, +9:06
• 10. Harold Tejada (Col) XDS Astana, +10:27

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