The 2025 Vuelta a Espana continued Thursday with stage 18, which would be contested as a time trial. Race organizers Unipublic and A.S.O. had decided to shorten the route of the stage 18 individual time trial from 27.2 kilometers to just 12.2 kilometers because the PremierTech team had still not withdrawn from this year’s Vuelta, causing protesters to flock to the streets of Valladolid. The route change could cause both the outcome of the stage and the final general classification of this year’s Vuelta a Espana to turn out significantly different than if the PremierTech team had allowed this year’s final Grand Tour to be contested as intended by the organizers and wished by fans all around the world.

Favorites to claim the stage victory in today’s stage 18 time trial of the 2025 Vuelta a Espana included Filippo Ganna (Ineos-Grenadiers-TotalEnergies), Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma-Lease a Bike), Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ), Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates), Daan Hoole (Lidl-Trek), and Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates). 

Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) remained general classification leader of the 2025 Vuelta a Espana after yesterday’s stage 17 of the 2025 Vuelta a Espana. Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) remained in second place - 48 seconds behind Denmark’s Vingegaard. Great Britain’s Thomas Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) was third in the GC, 02:38 minutes behind GC leader Vingegaard in the red jersey.

The first rider to leave the start ramp of the stage 18 time trial in Valladolid was Oscar Riesebeek of Team Alpecin-Deceuninck. Elia Vivani also left the start ramp and entered the almost flat route. The Lotto-Caps rider had not had a very impressive season this far and was not expected to dominate the time trial.

Daan Hoole left the start ramp and launched his time trial. The Dutch national time trial champion won the stage 10 time trial in this year’s Giro d’Italia and was also hoping to achieve a top result in today’s time trial.

Jasper Philipsen started his time trial. Though the fast Alpecin-Deceuninck rider was not expected to achieve a top result in today’s time trial, he could use the opportunity to celebrate his two stage victories in this year’s Vuelta. More riders left the start ramp at one-minute intervals.

Stage favorite Filippo Ganna left the start ramp. The Italian national time trial champion was having a win in today’s stage as a major season target and his Ineos-Grenadiers-TotalEnergies team could definitely use an additional stage victory this season, before this coming winter’s very promising rebuild of the legendary cycling team where Dave Brailsford has returned and Geraint Thomas will start a very important position to aid the riders in the team.

Daan Hoole set the fastest time when he crossed the finish line, and he entered the hot seat. But most riders in La Vuelta were yet to finish their time trials, so much would still change.

Time trial expert Filippo Ganna shaved nineteen seconds off Hoole’s finishing time when he crossed the finish line and was the new leader of the stage. The Italian rider from Team Ineos-Grenadiers-TotalEnergies replaced Hoole in the hot seat.

Denmark’s Mads Pedersen started his time trial. Though he was Danish national time trial champion, he was wearing a green skinsuit as leader of the points classification. Remi Cavagna also started his time trial. Known as the TGV train from Clermont-Ferrand, the 30-year-old French rider from Groupama-FDJ was famous for his skills on a time trial bike. His team was still looking for a stage victory in this year’s Vuelta a Espana.

Pedersen was slightly faster than Ganna at the intermediate timing point, so the final stretch to the finish line was of great interest to Vuelta spectators around the world. Pedersen lost time in the final kilometers and was more than twenty seconds slower than the Italian expert in the time trial discipline.

Cavagna did not manage to beat Ganna’s finishing time. The French rider placed third, but more riders were yet to start their time trials.

Australia’s Kelland O’Brien delivered a fine time trial performance for his Jayco-Alula team and was third best when he crossed the finish line. Maximilian Schachmann then started his time trial for UAE Team Emirates.

Juan Ayuso and Stefan Küng started their time trials. While Ayuso had won stages in this year’s Vuelta, Küng is known as a very good time trialist and was aiming for a top result in today’s time trial.

Küng was third-fastest at intermediate timing point 1. The Swiss rider was having a strong day on his Willier time trial bike, but a stage victory was needed for the Groupama-FDJ team.

Küng continued to perform optimally in the following kilometers and set a new fastest time at intermediate timing point 2. Spain’s Juan Ayuso finished in the tenth-fastest time, but many riders were yet to complete their time trials.

Stefan Küng had lost time in the final kilometers and finished outside of the top ten. What a disappointment for the Swiss rider who had spent the whole Vuelta charging his body batteries for today’s time trial effort. Küng will ride for Tudor Pro Cycling Team from 2026 and beyond.

Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates), Mikel Landa (Soudal-QuickStep) and other riders started their time trials. Egan Bernal (Ineos-Grenadiers-TotalEnergies) also left the start ramp in his Colombian national time trial champion skinsuit.

Vine set a new second-fastest time but was unable to beat TT leader Ganna. Bruno Armirail set a third-best time for Decathlon-AG2R. Frenchman Armirail will be riding for Team Visma-Lease a Bike in 2026 and 2027.

Riders in the general classification top ten were now starting their time trials. Every second counted. Matteo Jorgenson (USA, Team Visma-Lease a Bike), Torstein Traeen (Bahrain-Victorious), Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike), and Matthew Riccitello left the start ramp with two-minute intervals. 

Felix Gall started his time trial. The Austrian rider had suffered in recent stages, but the Decathlon-AG2R rider was sixth in the general classification before today’s stage 18 time trial. Yesterday’s stage winner Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull – Bora – Hansgrohe) also left the start ramp.

Australian Jai Hindley was fourth in the general classification and now started what was possibly the most important time trial of his career as professional cyclist. The Red Bull – Bora – Hansgrohe team was aiming for a podium spot for the strong 29-year-old rider.

Tom Pidcock of Great Britain and Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team also started his time trial while hoping to protect his third place in the GC from the continuous attacks from Hindley and other riders behind him.

Joao Almeida started his time trial for UAE Team Emirates. Second in the general classification, it was his task to gain crucial time on race leader Jonas Vingegaard before the final stages of this year’s Vuelta as the Dane had a fifty second lead over him.

Jonas Vingegaard was the last rider to start his time trial and the Dane looked stunning in his red skinsuit. Vingegaard left the start ramp to defend or increase his lead in the general classification for Team Visma-Lease a Bike.

Riccitello navigated the time trial well and delivered a performance that was better than expected from the climber. 

Almeida set a fourth-fastest time at intermediate timing point 1. How well would Denmark’s Vingegaard fare compared to the Portuguese? Vingegaard was tenth best and was about three seconds slower than Almeida at the intermediate timing point.

Vingegaard was also three seconds slower than Almeida at Intermediate Timing Point 2.

Thomas Pidcock finished his time trial inside the top twenty and had defended his third place in the GC well.

Almeida powered towards the finish line and was just eight seconds slower than time trial leader Ganna. Almeida set the third-best time, but it appeared he had not gained much time on Vingegaard in the time trial.

Jonas Vingegaard crossed the finish line in the ninth-best time and lost ten seconds to Almeida in the GC.

Filippo Ganna has won the stage 18 individual time trial of the 2025 Vuelta a Espana for Team Ineos-Grenadiers-TotalEnergies. What a brilliant and important race victory for the Italian national champion. Jay Vine finished second and Joao Almeida completed the stage podium ahead of Bruno Armirail and Ivo Oliveira.

“I suffered even more in the hot seat during the last three hours than on the bike and I am really happy with today’s result,” stage winner Filippo Ganna explained to Roadcycling.com following the stage.

“This past week started well for us, and I wanted to make sure I did the best for our team. After the Tour things were not easy and it was a difficult fight to get back on the bike following the crash, but I always tried to do my best to improve. I’ve suffered in this Vuelta during the first two weeks and now I am really happy to have won,” Ganna added.

Jonas Vingegaard remains general classification leader following stage 18. Joao Almeida is second - forty seconds behind Vingegaard, while Thomas Pidcock is third, 02:39 minutes behind the leader. Jai Hindley is fourth in the GC, but 03:18 minutes back.

The next challenge on the menu of the 2025 Vuelta a Espana will be Friday’s stage 19, which will take the remaining riders in the Vuelta a Espana peloton on a 161.9-kilometer ride from Rueda to Guijuelo. The stage route will expose the riders to hilly terrain before Saturday’s stage 20 with its serious mountain battles, before the Vuelta concludes on Sunday in Madrid.

Stay tuned to Roadcycling.com for complete coverage from the 2025 Vuelta a Espana.