08/09/2022

Remco Evenepoel wins stage 18 of the Vuelta a Espana after successfully controlling crazy GC day

Stage 18 proved to be one of Remco Evenepoel's most difficult challenges throughout this Vuelta a Espana, however the Belgian has extended his lead as he resisted the many attacks from rivals, to take the win atop Alto del Piornal.

The start to the day was a chaotic one, with plenty attacks on the road he many tried to form a breakaway, and a heavy crash with high consequences which saw Jay Vine abandon the race. Mads Pedersen and Carlos Rodríguez hit the deck aswell, with other riders involved. Eventually the peloton let up the pace, as soon as a group of 42 riders went up the road, including no GC threats but a lot of stage favourites.

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The action began early on in the peloton, when the 7-minute started coming down as João Almeida attacked together with Brandon McNulty to make an assault on the general classification. He joined up with two more teammates over the coming kilometers, briding across to the main group out front in the first ascent of Piornal, as 6 riders went up the road: Robert Gesink, Thibaut Pinot, Richard Carapaz, Élie Gesbert, Sergio Higuita and Hugh Carthy. Astana and Movistar kept the gap at around a minute, with an attack from Miguel Ángel López near the summit breaking the group apart.

The situation calmed down in the short valley run before the climb, but as soon as the road started to rise the action kicked off again. Gesink and Gesbert attacked in the front group, with the Dutchman going solo with 6.5 kilometers to go. Before that, Enric Mas had attacked the GC group, Evenepoel made his move shortly after, and with 4 kilometers to go Mas tested the Quick-Step rider once again but without success. Several other attacks were put on by other GC riders but the riders stayed together, with Gesink the only survivor into the final kilometers.

The attacks kept on coming from both first and second in the GC, as they linked up with Gesink almost in sight of the line. The Belgian used his explosivity to outsprint Mas to the line, as Gesink rolled in third, with the remainder of the GC group following behind.