Eddie Dunbar achieved the most significant victory of his professional career on Saturday, claiming his second stage win in this year’s Vuelta a España.

The 28-year-old rider from Cork had already celebrated a triumph on stage 11 of the race, but his success on the penultimate day was even more remarkable, as he outclassed some of the world’s top riders during the final summit finish.

Dunbar launched an attack with five kilometres remaining on the category one Picón Blanco ascent, gradually pulling away from the group of general classification contenders. He caught and overtook the lone leader, Pavel Sivakov (UAE Team Emirates), with 3.5 kilometres left to ride.

Despite significant accelerations from proven Grand Tour riders such as Enric Mas (Movistar Team), Mikel Landa (T-Rex Quick-Step), and David Gaudu (Groupama FDJ), Dunbar managed to maintain a several-second lead, successfully fending off their attempts to catch him.

“I always knew it was going to be a really tough stage, but after the intensity of the last three weeks, I thought many of the riders would be fatigued today,” said Dunbar. “Especially the general classification guys, who have been pushed to their limits every day.”

Being slightly behind in the general classification, Dunbar recognised an opportunity. “I knew if I stayed with them and executed everything correctly during the final week, I’d have a chance to take the stage win today. I wasn’t going to be allowed to break away, but I always believed I could win.”

Dunbar crossed the finish line seven seconds ahead of Mas and 10 seconds in front of the race leader, Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe). Considering the difficulty of the climb and the calibre of his competitors, this win stands as his best performance to date.

“I knew that if I paced myself and continued riding at my threshold, it would require a huge effort for anyone to catch me,” he added. “It wasn’t until about 200 metres from the finish that I felt confident I could hold them off, when I glanced back and saw a bit of daylight.”

Roglič’s team has been affected by a reported case of salmonella, with a staff member hospitalised. The Slovenian rider appeared slightly below his usual form but retains a 2:02 lead over former race leader Ben O’Connor (Decathlon-Ag2r La Mondiale) heading into Sunday’s final stage time trial in Madrid.

Mas is third, trailing by 2:11, meaning that Roglič, the former Olympic champion, is well-positioned to secure a record-equalling fourth Vuelta title.

Dunbar has moved up two places to 11th overall, giving him a considerable morale boost ahead of the upcoming Road World Championships.