DISCUSSION Vuelta a España Stage 18: Is old Almeida back? Mas vs Roglic until Sunday? Kung, at last

Stefan Küng claimed a closely fought victory in the Stage 18 individual time trial at the 2026 Vuelta a Espana, beating Callum Thornley by just 2.27 seconds in Jerez de la Frontera.

Thornley produced the surprise performance of the day on the flat 32.1-kilometre course. The 23-year-old Scot caught Steffen De Schuyteneer, who had started two minutes earlier, and set a time of 35:25. Küng ultimately denied him the victory, finishing in 35:22.82 after building his advantage through the middle section. João Almeida took third place, 8.78 seconds behind, while Primoz Roglic finished fourth.

Enric Mas delivered a controlled ride to retain the red jersey. Roglic gained 22 seconds over the opening 11.7 kilometres and extended that advantage to 36 seconds at the second checkpoint. However, Mas limited his losses in the closing kilometres and finished 12th, conceding 33 seconds overall.

Roglic moved above Felix Gall into second place in the general classification. Gall lost 1:28 to the Slovenian and dropped to third, around 3:01 behind Mas. Richard Carapaz retained fourth overall, while Oscar Onley gained another 26 seconds on Jakob Omrzel and extended his lead in the youth classification to 56 seconds. Mas now leads Roglic by 1:37.

Carlos Silva of CyclingUpToDate followed the action closely during stage 18 of the Vuelta a Espana. After Stefan Küng claimed an emphatic victory in the 32.1-kilometre individual time trial finishing in Jerez de la Frontera, Silva reflected on the Swiss rider’s performance, João Almeida’s impressive ride and the increasingly tense battle for the general classification.

“Küng gave Tudor their second victory of this Vuelta,” Silva began. “He won the time trial in a categorical and indisputable manner.”

Almeida was one of the biggest positive surprises of the day. The Portuguese rider had endured a difficult 2026 season after suffering from illness and physical problems. He returned to competition at the Tour de Pologne, where his preparations were further disrupted by a crash.

“João Almeida was one of the riders who impressed me most today,” Silva said. “He has had a difficult 2026 season. We all know that he was ill and struggled with physical problems. He then returned at the Tour de Pologne, where he was involved in a crash.”

Almeida entered the Vuelta intending to support Tadej Pogacar in the Slovenian’s attempt to complete the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta treble. However, Pogacar’s crash and subsequent abandonment forced UAE Team Emirates - XRG to reconsider their ambitions.

Despite no longer having his leader in the race, Almeida produced an excellent time trial. He set the fastest time at the opening intermediate checkpoint and eventually finished only eight seconds behind Küng.

“Almeida rode a very consistent and solid time trial” Silva continued. “He was even the fastest rider at the first checkpoint. To lose only eight seconds to Küng, who is a specialist in this discipline, is nothing to be disappointed about.”

Silva believes the performance could encourage Almeida to target the individual time trial at the European Championships later in the season.

“I think João may still have something up his sleeve” he suggested. “I am not necessarily talking about the World Championships, but perhaps the European Championships. After this performance, he may try to fight for the European time-trial title.”

Before then, Almeida will have two more opportunities to chase personal success at the Vuelta.

“I hope João can remain strong during this third week and perhaps fight for a stage victory,” Silva added. “He came here to help Pogacar win La Vuelta, but after the world champion’s crash and abandonment, Almeida may now get an opportunity of his own. It would be special if he could win a stage and dedicate it to Pogacar.”

The time trial also caused further changes in the general classification. Primoz Roglic reduced his deficit to race leader Enric Mas, although the Spaniard produced a respectable performance to retain the red jersey.

“Roglic took time out of Enric Mas, but Mas defended himself very well,” Silva analysed. “This may be Roglic’s final major opportunity to win another Grand Tour and claim a fifth overall victory at the Vuelta. Perhaps that will give him additional motivation ahead of the two very difficult mountain stages on Friday and Saturday.”

Mas, meanwhile, continues to carry the hopes of the Spanish public. Silva believes the 31-year-old is proving himself worthy of leading his home Grand Tour.

“Mas defended the red jersey with dignity” he said. “He has everything required to win this Vuelta. He is riding with motivation and has the crowd behind him. The Spanish public have not always been particularly fond of Mas, but this time you can sense that they are supporting him.”

Oscar Onley also strengthened his position in the youth classification. The Briton gained time on his closest rival for the white jersey and moved nearer to Richard Carapaz, who occupies fourth place overall.

“Onley defended himself well and gained some time on Jakob Omrzel,” Silva noted. “He also moved closer to Carapaz in fourth place, so everything remains open ahead of the final two mountain stages.”

With tough summit battles still to come, Silva does not believe the composition of the podium has been decided. “I do not think any of the podium positions are secure yet,” he concluded. “Felix Gall is also a very strong climber, so I expect some excellent battles over the next few days.”

Jorge Borreguero of CiclismoAlDia followed the action closely during stage 18 of the Vuelta a Espana. After Stefan Küng powered to victory in the individual time trial, Borreguero assessed Enric Mas’ successful defence of the red jersey and the threat posed by Primoz Roglic.

“Enric Mas has come through with flying colours on the day that could have caused Movistar Team the most concern,” Borreguero said. “On paper, the time trial was the race leader’s biggest weakness. Although Roglic took 33 seconds back, Mas retains the red jersey with an advantage that still leaves his fate in his own hands heading into the final stages.”

The most encouraging aspect of Mas’ performance was the way he responded once Roglic began opening a gap. The Slovenian was clearly the stronger of the two against the clock and once again demonstrated that he remains the main threat to Mas’ overall lead.

However, the Spaniard refused to unravel under pressure. He managed his effort carefully, maintained a solid pace throughout the 32.1 kilometres and ensured that the damage remained limited.

“The most important thing is that Mas did not collapse when Roglic started making the difference,” Borreguero explained. “The Slovenian was clearly superior and showed that he remains the main threat, but Enric managed his time trial well, maintained a solid rhythm and limited his losses.”

For Borreguero, conceding only 33 seconds to a rider of Roglic’s quality represented a very positive outcome for Mas. “To lose 33 seconds over 32 kilometres to a Roglic who came close to winning the stage is an excellent result for the race leader,” he added.

The time trial also caused significant damage to Felix Gall’s hopes in the general classification. With Gall now 3:01 behind Mas, the battle for the red jersey has increasingly developed into a direct contest between Mas and Roglic.

“Gall lost a huge amount of time, leaving him 1:28 behind Mas, so the fight for the red jersey has become even more restricted,” Borreguero said. “Roglic is now the obvious threat, but the gap remains 33 seconds.”

With two demanding mountain stages still to come, Mas therefore retains a valuable advantage. Roglic has moved closer, but the Movistar leader remains in control of the race and does not need to rely on the performances of other riders.

While the fight for the general classification dominated much of the attention, Borreguero also praised Küng’s outstanding ride. The Swiss specialist completed the course in 35:22 to secure a high-quality victory for Tudor Pro Cycling Team.

“Stefan Küng also deserves to be highlighted,” he said. “He produced a genuine exhibition to take the victory in 35:22. He beat all the leading specialists and secured a win of the highest level.”

Mas did not need to challenge Küng for the stage victory. His objective was simply to survive the terrain that appeared least suited to him and retain enough of an advantage over Roglic before the race returned to the mountains.

“Enric Mas did not need to win this time trial, he needed to survive Roglic, and he achieved that,” Borreguero concluded. “After Calar Alto and La Pandera, where Mas was the rider who hurt his rivals, today was about resisting. And he is still wearing red.”

Rúben Silva of CyclingUpToDate followed the action closely during stage 18 of the Vuelta a Espana. After Stefan Küng powered to victory in the 32-kilometre individual time trial, Ruben shared his thoughts on the Swiss rider’s success and the performances of Enric Mas, Primoz Roglic and Felix Gall in the battle for the general classification.

“There was one big figure today, and that was Enric Mas,” Ruben reflected. “Throughout the race, even if the threat was not massive, there was always the feeling that the Spaniard would have to defend himself in the time trial because he would inevitably lose time to Primoz Roglic.”

Before the stage, the time differences were difficult to predict. With Roglic regarded as the superior time trialist, the possibility of a major shift in the general classification remained.

“We thought Mas could lose minutes, potentially two, or perhaps enough time for Roglic to move into the red jersey,” Ruben continued. “Instead, Mas produced an excellent performance and did not allow anyone to put a serious dent in his lead.”

Mas finished 12th on the day and conceded just over half a minute to Roglic on the flat course. The Slovenian performed strongly and recorded the fourth-fastest time, but he was unable to make the gains he needed to seriously threaten the race leader.

“There were no excuses,” Ruben said. “Roglic was on a good day and the course suited him, but Mas simply did not allow anyone to take a significant amount of time out of his advantage.”

Mas now holds a lead of almost a minute and a half over Roglic. According to Ruben, that advantage should be enough under normal circumstances, especially given the Spaniard’s performances in the mountains.

“That margin might already have been enough in 2024, when Roglic was stronger on some of the mountain stages,” he explained. “It certainly looks sufficient in this Vuelta, where Mas appears to be the strongest climber.”

Felix Gall also limited his losses, conceding 1:28 to Roglic. As a result, second place in the general classification remains within his reach.

“The entire top three showed that they are in excellent form,” Ruben concluded. “I think all three produced the best time trials they could have delivered.”

The stage victory went to Küng, who completed the course in 35:22. For Ruben, it was a deserved success for a rider whose career has often featured near misses.

“It was a well-deserved victory for Küng after a career often marked by second places,” he said. “It also comes in a year shaped by a terrible injury that ruled him out of several important moments.”

Stefan Küng won the stage, but Enric Mas may have crossed the line with the greatest sense of relief. The Swiss rider produced a flawless display to secure Tudor’s second victory of the race, while João Almeida came within eight seconds of beating one of the best time triallists in the peloton. Considering the illness, physical problems and crash that have disrupted Almeida’s season, this was more than a strong result, it was confirmation that his best form is returning.

Primoz Roglic gained 33 seconds on Mas, yet the outcome feels almost as encouraging for the Spaniard as it does for his rival. This was supposed to be the day when Roglic exposed Mas’ biggest weakness and potentially turned the general classification upside down. Instead, Mas absorbed the blow. He did not panic when the gaps began to grow, kept his rhythm and reached the finish with the red jersey still firmly on his shoulders. After Küng’s battle against the clock, the Vuelta will now be decided man against man in the mountains.