Vuelta 2024 - Stage 11: Dunbar lands breakaway coup - Lipowitz has to give up white

The breakaways also dominated the 11th stage of the Vuelta a Espana 2024, with Eddie Dunbar (Team Jayco-AlUla) coming out of a large lead group to win ahead of Quinten Hermans (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Max Poole (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) on the demanding course around Padron. Dunbar took advantage of a moment of lurking at the front in the final kilometre to pull out a decisive lead.

I set off 600 metres before the finish, which is a long time for a sprint. I can't believe it - Eddie Dunbar

The battle for the red jersey also came down to the wire. Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) attacked on the last climb of the day and was able to hold off Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) along with a few other favourites. In the end, O'Connor reached the finish together with Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) 37 seconds behind the Roglic group. This means that the German has to hand over the white jersey of the best young pro to Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers). Six seconds now separate Lipowitz and Rodriguez.

Lipowitz is now seventh in the overall standings, with Roglic closing the gap to O'Connor to 3:16 minutes. In addition, Enric Mas ousted Richard Carapaz (EF Education EasyPost) from third place.

Vuelta a Espana 2024 - Results: the top 10 of stage 11

1. Eddie Dunbar (Team Jayco-AlUla) 3:44:52
2. Quinten Hermans (Alpecin-Deceuninck) +0:02
3. Max Poole (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) +0:02
4. Jhonatan Narvaez (Ineos Grenadiers) +0:04
5. Urko Berrada (Equipo Kern Pharma) +0:04
6. Filippo Zana (Team Jayco-AlUla) +0:04
7. Ion Izagirre (Cofidis) +0:04
8. Carlos Verona (Lidl-Trek) +0:04
9. Gianmarco Garofoli (Astana Qazaqstan Team) +0:04
10. Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) +0:04

The overall standings

1. Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) 43:54:54
2. Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +3:16
3. Enric Mas (Movistar) +3:58
4. Richard Carapaz (EF Education EasyPost) +4:10
5. Mikel Landa (Soudal - Quick Step) +4:40
6. Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) +5:23
7. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +5:29
8. Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) +5:30
9. Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) +5:30
10. George Bennett (Israel-Premier Tech) +5:46

>> All stages of the Vuelta a Espana 2024 at a glance

>> The start list

>> TV broadcast & live stream

How the 11th stage of the Vuelta a Espana 2024 went

The Tour of Spain 2024 continues to take its toll. With Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) and Patrick Konrad (Lidl-Trek), there were once again two withdrawals for stage 11 due to Covid-19. In addition, Lorenzo Rota (Intermarche-Wanty) did not resume the race due to knee pain after a crash.

Large breakaway group

It was extremely fast right from the start. There were almost constant attacks. As a result, the first hour of the race was completed at an average speed of 45.5 kilometres per hour. The battle for places in the leading group lasted around 70 kilometres. Then a huge group of 36 riders broke away. The best placed rider was George Bennett (Israel-Premier Tech), 9:50 minutes behind in the overall standings. The German team Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe also had three riders in the group: Daniel Felipe Martinez, Nico Denz and Patrick Gamper.

Israel Prime Minister Tech recaptures Meurisse

On the ascent to Puerto Aguasantas (2nd category), Xandro Meurisse broke away from the group and opened up a one-minute lead. Israel-Premier Tech was almost the only team in the lead there, with four riders in total and the best-placed rider in the overall standings in Bennett.

With 32 kilometres to go, Meurisse was caught again by his former companions. In the peloton, Movistar was the first team to lose its nerve as Bennett slowly threatened Enric Mas' fourth place overall. Together with Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, the team of overall leader Ben O'Connor, the Spaniards reduced the gap to five minutes.

Runaways race for the day's victory

A small group around Victor Campenaerts (Lotto-Dstny) went into the last climb of the day, the Puerto Cruxeiras (3rd category), with a small lead over the rest of the large breakaway group. A trio broke away at the very front of the climb: Carlos Verona (Lidl-Trek), Urko Berrade (Equipo Kern Pharma) and Filippo Zana (Team Jayco-AlUla). However, the Italian Zana was unable to keep up the pace for long and dropped back. Instead, Max Poole (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) caught up with the front runners. After the descent, however, everything came together again at the front. With 600 metres to go, Eddie Dunbar made the decisive move and secured victory ahead of Hermans and Poole.

Attack by Primoz Roglic

In the peloton, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe put Ben O'Connor to the test. The team from Raubling slammed into the final climb at full speed. Shortly afterwards, Primoz Roglic attacked. Only Enric Mas was able to follow. O'Connor had problems keeping up with the chasing group of Roglic and Mas, as did Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe). However, Mikel Landa (Sodual - Quick Step), David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) and Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) managed to catch up with Roglic and Mas again.

Martinez as a relay station for Roglic

Tactically well organised by Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, the group rode up to Daniel Felipe Martinez, who acted as a relay station for Roglic and did important speed work, so that the group around the three-time winner of the Tour of Spain gained 37 seconds on O'Connor. Richard Carapaz (EF Education EasyPost), who lost 15 seconds to Roglic and Mas and thus also his third place overall to the Spaniard, was still between Roglic's group and O'Connor's group.

The seconds poker in the battle for the red jersey of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana is likely to continue on Thursday. The next mountain finish awaits with a final climb of around 16 kilometres.