Vuelta a España 2026: Stefan Küng wins the stage 18 time trial as Enric Mas holds off Roglič
The only long time trial of this Vuelta lived up to the billing. Stefan Küng powered to victory on the flat, wind-exposed 32.1km course from El Puerto de Santa María to Jerez de la Frontera, beating his Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe teammate Callum Thornley by three seconds and João Almeida by nine. But the day belonged to Enric Mas: riding the time trial of his life, the race leader conceded just 33 seconds to Primož Roglič, who moved above Felix Gall into second overall but still trails the red jersey by 1:37 with two mountain stages left. Gall lost nearly a minute and a half to Roglič on the stage and slipped to third at 3:01. The full story of stage 18, the general classification after eighteen stages, and a look ahead to Friday's mountain stage to Peñas Blancas.
Küng powers to victory on a windswept coastal course
Stage 18 was this Vuelta's only long time trial: 32.1 kilometres hugging the Atlantic coast from the sherry town of El Puerto de Santa María to Jerez de la Frontera, mostly flat but repeatedly exposed to crosswinds blowing in off the water. It suited the powerful rouleurs far more than the climbers who have dominated the race so far, and Stefan Küng delivered exactly the kind of ride his profile promised: metronomic, aerodynamic, and untroubled by the gusts that rattled several GC riders.
The Swiss champion stopped the clock at 35:22, at an average of over 54 km/h, beating his own Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe teammate Callum Thornley by three seconds and João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) by nine. It was a Tudor Pro Cycling masterclass on the one day of this Vuelta built for a specialist of Küng's kind, and a reminder that not every stage of a Grand Tour has to be decided in the mountains.
Mas rides the time trial of his life to keep Roglič at bay
All eyes were on the GC contenders starting late in the afternoon, and none more so than Enric Mas. The Movistar leader has never been considered a time trial specialist, but with the red jersey on his shoulders and the toughest climbs of the race still to come, he produced arguably the ride of his career: conceding just 33 seconds to Primož Roglič over the full 32.1 kilometres, far less than the two-minute cushion many had expected him to lose.
That performance was enough to keep Roglič's charge in check. The Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe leader moved above Felix Gall into second overall, but still trails Mas by 1:37 heading into the race's final two mountain stages. Gall, by contrast, had a torrid day: he lost 1:28 to Roglič and 1:47 to stage winner Küng, and slipped from second to third overall, now 3:01 down on the red jersey.
The stage 18 result
1. Stefan Küng (Tudor Pro Cycling) in 35:22; 2. Callum Thornley (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), at 3 seconds; 3. João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), at 9; 4. Primož Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), at 19; 5. Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), at 20; 6. Finn Fisher-Black; 7. Bruno Armirail; 8. Ivo Oliveira; 9. Ethan Hayter; 10. Xabier Azparren.
The general classification after eighteen stages
With no rival finding significant time, Enric Mas takes a slightly larger cushion into the race's final mountain block. The Movistar leader is 1:37 clear of Primož Roglič, with Felix Gall now 3:01 back in third. Richard Carapaz holds fourth at 5:17, ahead of Oscar Onley (+6:03), Jakob Omržel (+7:00), Clément Berthet, and Mattias Skjelmose and Cristián Rodríguez, tied at +7:51. Harold Tejada rounds out the top ten at +9:57 — Sepp Kuss, who held that spot before the time trial, has dropped out of it entirely.
The other classifications stayed put, as expected on a time trial with no intermediate sprint or categorised climb: Wout van Aert (282 points) keeps his grip on the green jersey, with Matthew Brennan (189) and Alessandro Romele (153) his nearest challengers, while Santiago Buitrago retains the mountains jersey untouched. In the young rider competition, Oscar Onley's lead actually grew: his advantage over Jakob Omržel went from 30 seconds to 57, since Onley simply lost less time to the specialists than his young Slovenian rival.
Looking ahead: the mountains return at Peñas Blancas
Friday 11 September sends the Vuelta straight back into the mountains: 205.1 kilometres from Vélez-Málaga to a summit finish at Peñas Blancas, high above the Costa del Sol, with three climbs packed into the final seventy kilometres. It's the kind of stage where the Vuelta can be lost but not won — the real GC reckoning waits for the following day's queen stage at the Collado del Alguacil — but with the margins this tight, nobody in the top ten can afford to relax. Check the profile on our stage 19 page.
Want to catch up on the rest of this Vuelta? Read our stage 17 report from Seville — Matthew Brennan's record-breaking fifth win — our stage 12 report from Calar Alto, or the complete guide to the 2026 Vuelta a España.
Curious which Vuelta rider you are?
🔴 Take the quiz