Stefan Küng claimed victory in the individual time trial on stage 18 of the Vuelta a España, held on a 32-kilometre route beginning in El Puerto de Santa Maria and finishing in Jerez. Riding for Tudor Pro Cycling, Küng completed the course in 35 minutes and 22 seconds, narrowly edging out British rider Callum Thornley of Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe by three seconds. Joao Almeida of UAE Team Emirates secured third place with a time of 35 minutes and 31 seconds, followed by Primož Roglič who recorded 35 minutes and 41 seconds.

Despite the strong efforts from Roglič, who reduced his deficit by 33 seconds, Movistar’s Enric Mas maintained his overall lead in the general classification. Mas finished the time trial in 36 minutes and 14 seconds, placing 12th on the stage and preserving a 1 minute and 37 second advantage going into the final two mountain stages of the race.

The time trial also saw a shift in the top standings, with Roglič overtaking Felix Gall of Decathlon CMA CGM to move into second place overall. Gall completed the course in 37 minutes and 9 seconds, finishing 26th on the stage.

The Vuelta now heads into its concluding mountain stages, where Mas will aim to defend his position against strong contenders including Roglič and Almeida.