ESTEPONA, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Irishman Eddie Dunbar overtook leading climber Santiago Buitrago with 500m remaining in Stage 19 of the Vuelta a Espana to secure an impressive victory on Friday while Spanish rider Enric Mas successfully defended his lead atop the general classification.
Dunbar's Pinarello Q36.5 teammate Thomas Gloag came third on the hilly 210.8km route from Velez-Malaga toEstepona.
Early in the day, a series of breakaway groups struggled to escape the peloton. At the first summit, Dunbar was among a group of 16 riders who held a 28-second advantage over the peloton.
The gap widened significantly during the middle of the route, reaching 07:29 before the final climb up Penas Blancas.
Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious), wearing thepolkadot jersey, began to pull away from the group 12km from the finish line withDunbar andGloag for company. It looked as if the Colombian would drive clear when he attacked with 2km remaining, but Dunbar remained tenacious to chase him up the hill. By the time they were level, Dunbar had the energy to power past Buitrago.
"I really didn't expect this today, I even said on the radio after about 50-60km, that I wasn't feeling good," said Dunbar. "This year I had three months out after a bad accident, without riding a bike. I really didn't think I'd be here at all. Let alone competing to win anything."
It is a second stage win at the Vuelta for 30-year-old Dunbar, his previous victory coming in 2024.
In the general classification, primary challengers Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) andPrimoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) made individual breakaway attempts throughout the day. The first came after 107km, but neither was able to detach from race leader Mas(Movistar).
Onthe final climb,Carapaz and Roglic made final efforts to push clear, but Mas keptRoglic comfortably close to him.Roglic and Mas crossed the finish line alongside each other, 5:11 behind Dunbar.
Mas goes into thepenultimate stage on Saturday with a strong 1:37 lead overRoglic.
Stage 20 is a 186.8km mountainous route from La Calahorra to Collado del Alguacil.
(Reporting by Ruairidh BarlowEditing by Christian Radnedge)
