2026 Vuelta a España Stage 18 Results & Recap
Stage 18 of the 2026 Vuelta a España is in the books. The final results and standings are below, followed by our recap of how the race unfolded.
Race Recap
Stefan Küng (TUD) took his second Grand Tour stage win and what was also his second success in a Vuelta time trial, his time of 35'23" making the Swiss two seconds quicker than long-time leader Callum Thornley (RBH). João Almeida (UEX) had his best day of the race as he finished third, nine seconds back, while Primož Roglič (RBH) was the pick of the GC contenders, taking fourth, 19 seconds down on Küng.
The GC contest took another swing, although not quite to the extent that Roglič would have been hoping. The Slovenian TT champion gained 1'28" on Felix Gall (DCT) to reclaim second place from the Austrian, but he only cut 33 seconds from his deficit on race leader Enric Mas (MOV), who produced what was arguably the best time trial performance of his career. The Spaniard goes into Friday's mountain stage with a healthy lead of 1'37" on Roglič, while Gall is now 3'01" back.
The time trial's early starters featured a number of likely contenders for the stage win. British TT champion Ethan Hayter (SOQ) set the first competitive mark of 35'54", but barely had time to take up his place in the leader's hot seat before young compatriot Thornley in a time of 35'25".
That mark stood for a long while. Almeida looked like he might beat when he went through the first of two intermediate checkpoints with the fastest time, but he faded a touch on the run-in. Finn Fisher-Black (RBH) produced a similar performance that eventually placed him sixth.
Küng then emerged as Thornley's most serious challenger. One second down to Almeida at the first check, the Swiss went through the second 11 seconds quicker than Thornley. Although Küng also faded in the course's final third, he maintained enough of an advantage to relegate Thornley to second place.
The victory, his team's second of this race after Marco Brenner (TUD)'s success in the mountains, was an emotional one. The Swiss has spent a good part of his season recuperating from a broken femur sustained in Omloop Nieuwsblad in late February that ruled him out of the Classics and the Tour de France. The win will also provide a huge boost for Küng going into the World Time Trial Championship in 10 days' time.
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