Eddie Dunbar lives on cloud nine after excellent victory: "Times like this don't come around often"

Eddie Dunbar put the icing on the cake of a rock-solid Vuelta a España on Saturday. The Irish climber from Jayco-AlUla won the queen stage from the group of favorites, finishing on the steep Picón Blanco. Earlier, Dunbar had already won the 11th stage from the leading group.

"This one is a lot nicer," Dunbar appropriately rated his victory in the queen stage higher than his first stage win afterward. "I said several times after last time that I never thought I could win a stage in a big tour. I always dreamed of winning a stage with an uphill finish, whether from the breakaway or the group with GC riders. I just felt good in the final and took my chance. Moreover, I divided my effort very well."

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Dunbar knew the final climb and did not want to speak of real breakthrough

The Picón Blanco was not an unknown territory for Dunbar. "I knew the climb from a few years ago, from the Tour of Burgos. I knew the climb was quite erratic. On the steep sections, I raced hard while approaching the flat sections more conservatively so I had enough energy left." That Dunbar could stay ahead of top favorites such as Primoz Roglic and Enric Mas can be called highly clever. How did he handle it tactically? "I kept my strength on the second-to-last climb dry. After all, with the Picón Blanco ahead, there was no point in wasting strength. I knew I would get some leeway on the final climb because I was 12 minutes in the GC. So they gave me some margin, but I'm just super happy I could finish," Dunbar said.

Despite celebrating his greatest successes in recent weeks, Dunbar wants to refrain from speaking of a real breakthrough. "I've had good times, also not-so-good times; that's just part of life. I learned that during my career. Times like this don't happen often. I look forward to celebrating these successes with family and friends," concluded Dunbar, who moved up two more GC spots to place 11.