KÜNG DOMINATES STAGE 18 TIME TRIAL AS MAS KEEPS LA ROJA
EL PUERTO DE SANTA MARÍA > JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA (September 10, 2026) – Two years after opening his Grand Tour stage-winning account in Madrid, Stefan Küng (Tudor) dominated stage 18 of La Vuelta 26, winning the 32.1-kilometer individual time trial from El Puerto de Santa María to Jerez de la Frontera. The Swiss specialist averaged 54.4 km/h to finish three seconds ahead of Callum Thornley (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), with João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) third, nine seconds behind. Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) finished fourth and gained 33 seconds on Enric Mas (Movistar), who placed 12th and retained La Roja with a 1:37 lead over Roglič. Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) dropped to third overall, 3:01 behind Mas.
Küng remarked:
“I’m just super happy to take the win here. I’m alone on the podium today but it’s a victory of the whole team. Thanks to the guys behind me, working hard behind the scenes.”
“I think [I build my victory] over the span of the 32 kilometres. You really had to be dialed in from the start. When it’s such a fast time trial, you cannot have any costly mistakes. And when it’s so fast, it’s also hard to make a difference. I had a bit of a difficult moment after the second climb. Then I also misjudged a few corners there. But then I was able to get back into the rhythm. And so for me, that’s where I made the difference.”
“Yeah, I think it’s huge [to have a second victory for Tudor]. It was super good to see Marco [Brenner] winning [in Sierra de la Pandera]. We are roommates on this Vuelta, so I think it’s a pretty good outcome for our room. We stand alone on the podium but I can assure you that there are so many people working hard behind the scenes. Especially also on the time trial side: we have an innovation team that is working hard together with our partners. And so I really, really want to thank all of them. And for sure also to all these people who got me back on track after my injury in February. I’d like to share this victory with many people.”
With four stages remaining before the finish in Granada, stage 18 provided a decisive test against the clock before the final mountain showdowns in the provinces of Malaga and Granada. The 149 riders who finished stage 17 started in reverse order of the overall standings, with the top 20 riders starting at two-minute intervals.
Thornley moved ahead of Hayter and Almeida
Two British specialists set early benchmarks. Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step) posted a time of 35:54, but Callum Thornley (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) was faster, finishing in 35:25 to take the hot seat.
João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) started strongly and led Thornley by almost three seconds at the first intermediate checkpoint after 11.7 kilometers. Thornley regained the advantage by the second checkpoint at 22.1 kilometers, where Almeida trailed by 0.27 second. Almeida finished six seconds behind Thornley.
Küng took control
After 11.7 kilometers, Küng sat between Almeida and Thornley, just one second behind the Portuguese rider and one second ahead of Thornley. The Swiss rider accelerated through the middle section and established the fastest time at the 22.1-kilometer checkpoint, 11 seconds ahead of Thornley.
Thornley was faster over the final section, but Küng still posted the day’s best finishing time of 35:22, averaging 54.4 km/h.
Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) also challenged for the win after a strong start, but the Belgian faded in the closing kilometers and finished 20 seconds behind Küng.
Among the overall contenders, Roglič managed his effort well to finish fourth, 19 seconds behind Küng. The result moved him back into second overall, 1:37 behind Mas.
Mas finished 12th on the stage, 52 seconds behind Küng, and maintained his overall lead. Gall finished behind Roglič in the general classification and dropped to third, 3:01 behind Mas.
Mas was happy to have only lost 33 seconds:
“[It feels] good, really good to be honest. We had it in mind that it was the time that we wanted to lose. In the first [time check] it was 19”, then 26”, then 39”, and then it went again to 34”. So yes, I’m happy.”
“No, [an advantage of 1’37”] is not a lot. There are still two really important days, and also the last day in Granada, so we have to be really focused, we have to be working hard.”
The last time La Vuelta finished in Jerez de la Frontera was also the last time a Spanish rider won La Vuelta: “Yes, Alberto [Contador]. At that time I was a kid, he was my hero because at 13-14 he was winning everything. So yes, it means a lot to me.”
Oscar Onley (Netcompany Ineos) finished 17th, 1:11 behind Küng, and extended his lead in the young riders’ classification to 57 seconds over Jakob Omrzel (Bahrain Victorious).
The race then turned toward the mountains, with Friday’s stage bringing a completely different challenge in the province of Malaga before the final weekend in Granada.
Jerseys after Stage 18:
- Overall leader: Enric Mas (Movistar)
- Points leader: Wout Van Aert (Team Visma – Lease a Bike)
- King of the Mountains: Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious)
- Young riders’ classification: Oscar Onley (Netcompany Ineos)
- Team classification: Decathlon CMA CGM Team
- Stage winner: Stefan Küng (Tudor Pro Cycling Team)
Stage 18 Video Highlights:
Stage 18 Results:
| 1 | S. KÜNG | TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM | 00h 35′ 22” | – | – | – |
| 2 | C. THORNLEY | RED BULL – BORA – HANSGROHE | 00h 35′ 25” | + 00h 00′ 03” | – | – |
| 3 | J. ALMEIDA | UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG | 00h 35′ 31” | + 00h 00′ 09” | – | – |
| 4 | P. ROGLIC | RED BULL – BORA – HANSGROHE | 00h 35′ 41” | + 00h 00′ 19” | – | – |
| 5 | W. VAN AERT | TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE | 00h 35′ 42” | + 00h 00′ 20” | – | – |
| 6 | F. FISHER – BLACK | RED BULL – BORA – HANSGROHE | 00h 35′ 43” | + 00h 00′ 21” | – | – |
| 7 | B. ARMIRAIL | TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE | 00h 35′ 48” | + 00h 00′ 26” | – | – |
| 8 | I. OLIVEIRA | UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG | 00h 35′ 52” | + 00h 00′ 30” | – | – |
| 9 | E. HAYTER | SOUDAL QUICK-STEP | 00h 35′ 54” | + 00h 00′ 32” | – | – |
| 10 | X. AZPARREN IRURZUN | PINARELLO-Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM | 00h 35′ 55” | + 00h 00′ 33” | – | – |
General Classification after Stage 18:
| 1 | E. MAS | MOVISTAR TEAM | 60h 45′ 58” | – | B : 22” | – |
| 2 | P. ROGLIC | RED BULL – BORA – HANSGROHE | 60h 47′ 35” | + 00h 01′ 37” | B : 4” | – |
| 3 | F. GALL | DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM | 60h 48′ 59” | + 00h 03′ 01” | B : 8” | – |
| 4 | R. CARAPAZ | EF EDUCATION – EASYPOST | 60h 51′ 15” | + 00h 05′ 17” | – | – |
| 5 | O. ONLEY | NETCOMPANY INEOS CYCLING TEAM | 60h 52′ 01” | + 00h 06′ 03” | B : 10” | – |
| 6 | J. OMRZEL | BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS | 60h 52′ 58” | + 00h 07′ 00” | B : 10” | – |
| 7 | C. BERTHET | GROUPAMA-FDJ UNITED | 60h 53′ 45” | + 00h 07′ 47” | B : 2” | – |
| 8 | M. SKJELMOSE | LIDL-TREK | 60h 53′ 49” | + 00h 07′ 51” | B : 2” | – |
| 9 | C. RODRIGUEZ | XDS ASTANA TEAM | 60h 53′ 49” | + 00h 07′ 51” | B : 12” | – |
| 10 | H. TEJADA | XDS ASTANA TEAM | 60h 55′ 55” | + 00h 09′ 57” | – | – |
