Vuelta a Espana 2024 stage 18 GC Update | Mikel Landa falls out of GC contention but Ben O'Connor survives GC attacks
Cycling
Stage 18 was not exactly the day in which the biggest differences were expected in the overall classification, but because of EF Education-EasyPost and Richard Carapaz this was not the case. Ben O'Connor and a few others were distanced in the Puerto Herrera but got back; but fifth placed Mikel Landa did not and lost several minutes.
Ben O'Connor suffered, lost a few meters at the end of the climb, but came back on the descent and will enter the final 3 stages of the Vuelta as the red jersey with those 5 seconds on Primoz Roglic and 1:25 on Enric Mas. Carapaz remains fourth and those improving are David Gaudu (5th), Carlos Rodriguez (6th), Mattias Skjelmose (7th), Florian Lipowitz (8th) and Pavel Sivakov (9th). Mikel Landa fell to 10th place after losing over 3 minutes on the day.
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Vuelta a España overall classification after stage 18
| 1 | O'CONNOR Ben | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | 72:48:46 |
| 2 | ROGLIC Primoz | Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe | + 05 |
| 3 | MAS Enric | Movistar Team | + 01:25 |
| 4 | CARAPAZ Richard | EF Education-EasyPost | + 01:46 |
| 5 | GAUDU David | Groupama-FDJ | + 03:48 |
| 6 | RODRIGUEZ Carlos | INEOS Grenadiers | + 03:53 |
| 7 | SKJELMOSE Mattias | Lidl-Trek | + 04:00 |
| 8 | LIPOWITZ Florian | Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe | + 04:27 |
| 9 | SIVAKOV Pavel | UAE Team Emirates | + 05:19 |
| 10 | LANDA Mikel | Soudal Quick-Step | + 05:38 |
| 11 | YATES Adam | UAE Team Emirates | + 08:40 |
| 12 | KUSS Sepp | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | + 09:45 |
| 13 | DUNBAR Edward | Team Jayco-AlUla | + 12:25 |
| 14 | RODRIGUEZ Cristian | ARKEA-B&B HOTELS | + 14:02 |
| 15 | VLASOV Aleksandr | Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe | + 17:12 |
| 16 | MARTIN Guillaume | Cofidis | + 21:07 |
| 17 | FORTUNATO Lorenzo | Astana Qazaqstan Team | + 21:41 |
| 18 | HAIG Jack | Bahrain Victorious | + 33:34 |
| 19 | PARRA José Félix | Equipo Kern Pharma | + 38:00 |
| 20 | KRUIJSWIJK Steven | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | + 48:11 |
| 21 | BERTHET Clément | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | + 54:16 |
| 22 | RODRÍGUEZ Óscar | INEOS Grenadiers | + 54:42 |
| 23 | CATTANEO Mattia | Soudal Quick-Step | + 58:53 |
| 24 | VALTER Attila | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | + 58:55 |
| 25 | PACHER Quentin | Groupama-FDJ | + 59:03 |
| 26 | MEINTJES Louis | Intermarché-Wanty | + 01:04:03 |
| 27 | POOLE Max | Team dsm-firmenich PostNL | + 01:09:35 |
| 28 | RICCITELLO Matthew | Israel-Premier Tech | + 01:11:19 |
| 29 | BIZKARRA Mikel | Euskaltel-Euskadi | + 01:13:58 |
| 30 | OOMEN Sam | Lidl-Trek | + 01:16:49 |
| 31 | IZAGIRRE Ion | Cofidis | + 01:19:29 |
| 32 | GALL Felix | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | + 01:19:42 |
| 33 | BENNETT George | Israel-Premier Tech | + 01:20:07 |
| 34 | KÜNG Stefan | Groupama-FDJ | + 01:22:19 |
| 35 | TEJADA Harold | Astana Qazaqstan Team | + 01:23:24 |
| 36 | SOLER Marc | UAE Team Emirates | + 01:24:47 |
| 37 | RUBIO Einer | Movistar Team | + 01:26:29 |
| 38 | QUINTANA Nairo | Movistar Team | + 01:28:36 |
| 39 | VERONA Carlos | Lidl-Trek | + 01:34:02 |
| 40 | ALEOTTI Giovanni | Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe | + 01:35:18 |
| 41 | PARET-PEINTRE Valentin | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | + 01:35:57 |
| 42 | DEL TORO Isaac | UAE Team Emirates | + 01:39:16 |
| 43 | MCNULTY Brandon | UAE Team Emirates | + 01:40:41 |
| 44 | VANSEVENANT Mauri | Soudal Quick-Step | + 01:40:48 |
| 45 | CEPEDA Alexander | EF Education-EasyPost | + 01:41:07 |
| 46 | MARTINEZ Daniel | Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe | + 01:41:46 |
| 47 | NARVAEZ Jhonnatan | INEOS Grenadiers | + 01:47:10 |
| 48 | MARTÍN Gotzon | Euskaltel-Euskadi | + 01:47:16 |
| 49 | GUGLIELMI Simon | ARKEA-B&B HOTELS | + 01:47:18 |
| 50 | LECERF William Junior | Soudal Quick-Step | + 01:49:15 |
| 51 | BERRADE Urko | Equipo Kern Pharma | + 01:54:26 |
| 52 | ADRIÀ Roger | Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe | + 01:54:28 |
| 53 | GAROFOLI Gianmarco | Astana Qazaqstan Team | + 01:54:30 |
| 54 | VERVAEKE Louis | Soudal Quick-Step | + 01:54:50 |
| 55 | MEURISSE Xandro | Alpecin-Deceuninck | + 01:56:32 |
| 56 | FRIGO Marco | Israel-Premier Tech | + 02:01:15 |
| 57 | ZANA Filippo | Team Jayco-AlUla | + 02:03:41 |
| 58 | TUSVELD Martijn | Team dsm-firmenich PostNL | + 02:03:44 |
| 59 | TRÆEN Torstein | Bahrain Victorious | + 02:06:17 |
| 60 | VACEK Mathias | Lidl-Trek | + 02:08:35 |
| 61 | GESINK Robert | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | + 02:10:01 |
| 62 | GEOGHEGAN HART Tao | Lidl-Trek | + 02:10:51 |
| 63 | CASTRILLO Pablo | Equipo Kern Pharma | + 02:14:41 |
| 64 | VINE Jay | UAE Team Emirates | + 02:15:38 |
| 65 | MIQUEL DELGADO Pau | Equipo Kern Pharma | + 02:19:00 |
| 66 | MATE Luis Angel | Euskaltel-Euskadi | + 02:20:44 |
| 67 | SCHMID Mauro | Team Jayco-AlUla | + 02:20:50 |
| 68 | KNOX James | Soudal Quick-Step | + 02:21:26 |
| 69 | HAMILTON Chris | Team dsm-firmenich PostNL | + 02:24:27 |
| 70 | ARMIRAIL Bruno | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | + 02:26:39 |
| 71 | BARONCINI Filippo | UAE Team Emirates | + 02:26:47 |
| 72 | CANAL Carlos | Movistar Team | + 02:28:16 |
| 73 | LE BERRE Mathis | ARKEA-B&B HOTELS | + 02:30:07 |
| 74 | RAFFERTY Darren | EF Education-EasyPost | + 02:32:44 |
| 75 | OLIVEIRA Nelson | Movistar Team | + 02:34:54 |
| 76 | TEUNS Dylan | Israel-Premier Tech | + 02:35:03 |
| 77 | GREGAARD Jonas | Lotto Dstny | + 02:37:45 |
| 78 | HUYS Laurens | ARKEA-B&B HOTELS | + 02:41:07 |
| 79 | HERMANS Quinten | Alpecin-Deceuninck | + 02:42:04 |
| 80 | LEEMREIZE Gijs | Team dsm-firmenich PostNL | + 02:44:10 |
| 81 | BRAET Vito | Intermarché-Wanty | + 02:50:47 |
| 82 | BOU Joan | Euskaltel-Euskadi | + 02:51:21 |
| 83 | IRIBAR Unai | Equipo Kern Pharma | + 02:53:47 |
| 84 | MIHOLJEVIC Fran | Bahrain Victorious | + 02:53:48 |
| 85 | HERRADA Jesus | Cofidis | + 02:55:40 |
| 86 | SWEENY Harry | EF Education-EasyPost | + 02:56:12 |
| 87 | LIVYNS Arjen | Lotto Dstny | + 02:56:13 |
| 88 | OWSIAN Lukasz | ARKEA-B&B HOTELS | + 02:59:32 |
| 89 | PETILLI Simone | Intermarché-Wanty | + 03:01:33 |
| 90 | VERGAERDE Otto | Lidl-Trek | + 03:01:43 |
| 91 | SEPULVEDA Eduardo | Lotto Dstny | + 03:03:21 |
| 92 | CHAMPION Thomas | Cofidis | + 03:06:06 |
| 93 | LAZKANO Oier | Movistar Team | + 03:07:34 |
| 94 | RIVERA Brandon | INEOS Grenadiers | + 03:08:15 |
| 95 | DE GENDT Thomas | Lotto Dstny | + 03:11:18 |
| 96 | HOLLMANN Juri | Alpecin-Deceuninck | + 03:13:21 |
| 97 | DENZ Nico | Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe | + 03:13:58 |
| 98 | SHAW James | EF Education-EasyPost | + 03:14:58 |
| 99 | GROVES Kaden | Alpecin-Deceuninck | + 03:15:06 |
| 100 | ENGELHARDT Felix | Team Jayco-AlUla | + 03:15:29 |

Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- It’s off-season mate, I’m bored and fed up with the mediocrity of people unwilling to provoke change when they admit things aren’t right. What have you done lately to make anyone realise you won’t put up with things? What conversation, are you dictating to me which part of the incident I have to be interested in or telling me other parts are taboo? That’s what I guess the UCI would really like, let them moan, let it blow over for them pass on to the next thing, let’s keep the status quo, let’s try our best not reviewing or revealing anything about decision-making just like every time before, they’re used to it by now so we can take the risk they’ll never give us grief.Jumpyjohn09-11-2026
- As far as CUTD headlines go this is far from the worst. It helps if you look at it twice and realise it’s a list of descriptions from distinct events. You can’t deny the reality of being a rival if you consider the picture immediately below, frontrunner is unfortunate but I’m guessing this time it’s more a linguistic failure than a clickbaiting opportunity. Just a reminder that this is not an anglo website, for those who find it too tedious to interpret text to get the gist of things which are rarely of great importance (as opposed to eg purposely biaised DOJ extradition translations in order to achieve hidden agendas), there are plenty of anglo cycling websites google can suggest.Jumpyjohn09-11-2026
- Ah, finally someone willing to be a bit proactive.Jumpyjohn09-11-2026
- So? Do you understand the way instructions, decisions and authority work? Do you think in a football match if after a match (or even after play has gone on) a player tells the referee he did touch the ball with his hands when the referee didn’t award opponents a penalty that they will revise the score or force a replay? You really don’t get my point, it’s not against the rider but everyone here is so emotional for her they can’t get back to an issue which needs resolving for the future and the first step (or maybe second) is to try to understand how and why it happens, none of you have contributed in the least to that. All everyone is interested in is letting everyone know they agree how unjust it was, not even sure anyone thinks that could affect anything.Jumpyjohn09-11-2026
- Shouldn’t you be in MOUrning?Jumpyjohn09-11-2026
- Maybe you don’t like it and that’s fine, we all have different sensibilities and topics that touch us, but as you try to show me, it doesn’t hurt to reflect and compare ourselves to others behaving similarly. What precisely is the difference between a sports fan interested in every detail of his/her hero’s life and a celeb fan having the same hobby? It’s far more interesting to learn and think about how and why (which) people do things than reading about what they are actually doing. And just to add another level, maybe you’ll agree we don’t use the same value system for everyone, we discriminate in an enormous number of systematic ways. For example, when is the last time you saw a discussion arguing about the achievements of two politicians to compare or for that matter two business leaders apart from the comparison of hypothetical wealth accumulated? Perhaps you misunderstood the intention?Jumpyjohn09-11-2026
- I don’t think I know what’s beneath the surface but I am willing to think about it, discuss it, compare it to a known past, extrapolate to a potential future and ask/try to find out truth or even take action within my powers (boycotting something or someone is within EVERY person’s reach). If you think your attitude has more chance of changing a result, a process, a system or an institution or it just makes you feel good, keep at it but to me it looks like you’ve already given up before trying.Jumpyjohn09-11-2026
- All journalists should start asking the UCI uncomfortable questions, sending inquiries about the interpretation of the rules and the justification of the results. This is the only way to change anything.averagecyclist09-11-2026
- OFF TOPIC: OK, don't get mad with me... I have some very important news, something that can't be overlooked, something that can't be ignored!!! In the new documentary Anatomy of a G.O.A.T. (released in November 2026), legendary Belgian cyclist EDDY MERCKX spoke about TADEJ POGAČAR: Merckx: “He has revived a style of cycling that we had almost forgotten. He is now better than me.” Key statements by Merckx about Pogačar in 2026: - Acknowledging his superiority: This time, Merckx openly admitted, without any subsequent backtracking or reservations, that Pogačar had surpassed him and was now above him. This contrasts with 2024, when he quickly softened his remarks about Pogačar being faster. - The possibility of a historic triple (Giro, Tour and Vuelta): During the July Tour de France (where Pogi claimed his fifth title), Merckx stated that Pogi was the only cyclist in history capable of winning all three Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España) in a single season, provided the conditions were right and he had sufficient team support. - Lack of serious competition: Merckx emphasised that Pogačar has no real rivals in the mountains since 2024, thanks to his extraordinary climbing ability and the fact that he continues to improve despite still being under 28 (he turned 28 in autumn 2026). - Praise for his racing style: Merckx highlighted how Pogačar is bringing back the aggressive, uncompromising spirit of cycling's golden era, when races were not merely about calculated stages and tactical conservatism, but about attacking from long distances. PS: Now, this is real important cycling news. This is not "boring" ... this is called making real history, not BS history. Capish?PogiSloFans09-11-2026
- how else is there to look at things? we are responding to words and pictures, we are not there. your long winded replies make zero sense to anyone. pretty much everyone but you says the same thing. MS was robbed. somehow you think you're so smart to dig beneath the surface and discover something no one else, including the opposing coach and cyclist, saw. lol. you are a tool.mij09-11-2026
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