Colombian rider Santiago Buitrago, currently the leader of the mountains classification at the Vuelta a España, suffered a painful near-miss on the road to Peñas Blancas. After launching a decisive solo attack in the final kilometers, the Bahrain Victorious cyclist looked poised to claim the stage victory, only to be reeled in by Ireland’s Eddie Dunbar with just 500 meters (about a third of a mile) left to race.
Visibly shaken by the result, Buitrago described the gut-punch of seeing his rival’s shadow appear behind him after he had committed fully to his attack. “It’s hard to believe. When I attacked, I was very confident, I never looked back, and then when I saw Dunbar’s shadow coming up, my world fell apart. I had given everything, and… another second place,” he said after crossing the line.
Despite the disappointment, the Bogotá native was gracious in defeat, crediting Dunbar’s team, Pinarello-Q36.5, for having several riders in the breakaway group, which gave the Irishman a tactical advantage. “Dunbar is a very strong rider, he’s proven it, and I think he had it well planned today. I can only congratulate him,” Buitrago said.
With no time to dwell on the loss, Buitrago is already looking ahead to Saturday’s grueling queen stage, finishing at the Collado del Alguacil climb, where he hopes to have the legs to fight for victory once again.
Read the full story at El Tiempo.
Source: 'Se me vino el mundo abajo': la amarga frustración de Santiago Buitrago al perder la etapa en Peñas Blancas (eltiempo.com). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: Citizen 4474, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).