Irish cyclist Eddie Dunbar claimed his third career stage win at the Vuelta a España, securing the victory for his team, Pinarello-Q36.5, with a late surge near the summit of the Penas Blancas climb in Estepona. Dunbar was part of a small group of four riders who broke away from the peloton on the upper slopes of the category-one climb. Though he was initially overtaken by Santiago Buitrago, the King of the Mountains leader, Dunbar made a strong comeback in the final 500 meters, passing Buitrago to win the stage. Dunbar was surprised by his victory, especially after taking a three-month break following a serious accident. He said having two teammates in the breakaway group helped him feel more confident in his position. The stage also saw some movement in the overall general classification, as four-time Vuelta champion Primoz Roglic made several attempts to close the gap on race leader Enric Mas in the final kilometers. However, the order of the top six riders remained unchanged ahead of what is being called the "queen stage" on Saturday. The 210-kilometer stage from Vélez-Málaga to Penas Blancas started with high intensity. Richard Carapaz tried to join a breakaway group but failed. A group of 20 riders initially got away, but Movistar eventually regained control of the peloton after a challenging first half of the day. The race became more intense again as the riders approached the final climb, an 18.8-kilometer ascent with an average gradient of 6.5%, but with sections reaching double-digit slopes. Roglic’s team, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, took the lead on the lower slopes of the climb, trying to pressure Mas and his limited support team. Further up the road, the breakaway group faced multiple attacks and regroupings before a four-man group formed to contest the stage win. Buitrago, Urko Berrade, and Thomas Gloag joined Dunbar in the final stretch. None of them could match Buitrago’s initial acceleration, but Dunbar regrouped, caught up, and overtook him in the final meters, finishing 14 seconds ahead. Gloag, Dunbar’s teammate, finished third, marking his best result in a grand tour stage. In the overall standings, EF Education-EasyPost pushed the pace aggressively, reducing the field to just the top six riders. Enric Mas successfully defended his lead against attacks from Roglic and Carapaz. Stage 12 winner Jakob Omrzel also made an effort but failed to make an impact. The top six crossed the finish line one after another, maintaining the current standings. Mas now leads Roglic by 1 minute and 37 seconds and is just two days away from a potential first grand tour victory. Oscar Onley, the British rider, extended his lead in the best young rider classification and solidified his fifth place overall, 1 minute and 3 seconds ahead of Omrzel. The race continues on Saturday with the most challenging stage yet, featuring three category-one climbs and a hors categorie climb to a first-ever summit finish at Collado del Alguacil, which reaches a maximum gradient of 20%.