Primož Roglič finished off the Vuelta a España strongly on Sunday, taking second in the final-day time trial in Madrid to seal his overall victory.
The Slovenian rider finished 30 seconds behind the time trial specialist Stefan Küng in a fast, flat 24.6km race against the clock far better suited to the bigger Swiss rider.
Roglič beat all of his general classification rivals to extend his overall advantage, ending the three-week race 2′36 clear of Australian rider Ben O’Connor (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) and 3′13 in front of Spain’s Enric Mas (Movistar Team).
Irishman Eddie Dunbar defended his 11th place overall, ending the race 14′40 behind Roglič.
Your complete guide to all the festive sporting action including TV details
Irish Times Sportswoman of the Year Awards: ‘The greatest collection of women in Irish sport in one place ever assembled’
Two-time Olympic champion Kellie Harrington named Irish Times/Sport Ireland Sportswoman of the Year 2024
Pub staff struggled to keep up with giddy Shamrock Rovers fans who enjoyed every moment of Chelsea trip
More importantly, he took two stage wins, triumphing with a brilliantly-timed final kilometre surge on stage 11 and then winning the hardest mountain stage solo on Saturday.
The performances were the biggest of his career and show he has fully recovered from a run of injuries and moved to a new level.
“I’m feeling really good,” Dunbar said before Sunday’s final stage in Madrid. “I said jokingly yesterday morning it’s a shame it’s not a week longer. I’m really happy.”
Dunbar told The Irish Times before the race that he was short on racing fitness due to injuries this year, but that he expected to ride into form.
“I haven’t done any World Tour racing really since the Tour de Romandie, so I’m definitely probably a bit underdone compared to last year’s Vuelta,” he stated then. “But that mightn’t be a bad thing come the third week.”
That’s precisely how things panned out and with the upcoming world road championships taking place over tough terrain in Switzerland, he should be in a strong position. He is likely to line out in the time trial on September 22nd and then to contest the road race seven days later.
Dunbar’s Vuelta success has been a considerable boost to his confidence. The Corkman was stunned to take the first of his stage wins, but the assured manner of his victory on Saturday and his reaction afterwards shows how far he has progressed psychologically during the race.
He took victories in two stage races in 2022 and was seventh overall in last year’s Giro d’Italia, but will emerge from the Vuelta knowing he has reached a new level.
That will spur him on in the world championships, and also during the 2025 season.
The same can be said for Darren Rafferty, who made his grand tour debut in the race. Still just 21 years of age, he was asked to perform team duties for EF Education-EasyPost squad and had very limited personal opportunities.
He showed his strength on many occasions and played a fundamental role in helping team leader Richard Carapaz to fourth place overall.
While he didn’t get the chance to chase a stage win, Rafferty will emerge from the Vuelta much stronger than before and should reap the benefits in 2025 and beyond.
As for Roglič, he will hope his fifth career grand tour victory will be followed by a long-sought Tour de France success next summer.
