Vuelta a España: Stage 18 preview
Stage details and expert guide
Aguilar de Campoo – Valladolid
Distance: 186.4km 
Highest point: 890m
Category: Flat
Look to the sprinters
The 2012 Vuelta offers a mere half a dozen or so opportunities to the sprinters and this is among the most obvious of them. A lot of the riders will be familiar with some of these roads from the Vuelta a Castilla y León and they will be well aware that the principal danger comes from the wind. Although relatively flat, the stage takes place on the high plains. If it starts to blow, the peloton could split all too easily, especially given the fatigue that most of the field will be fighting by now. Valladolid has a long Vuelta history. The late Wouter Weylandt won the last stage into the city in 2008, outsprinting Matti Breschel.
Bingen Fernández: "This will be a very fast stage. It runs more or less downhill into Vallodolid. This is a very windy area, though. Normally, it should be a bunch sprint but the wind will decide whether it’s a big group or a small group that contests it."
 
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Latest on Cyclingnews
- 
Ruth Holcomb and Griffin Hoppin 'closing the gap' with U23 titles in Life Time Grand Prix'I couldn't have ever imagined how great this opportunity would be' says Holcomb, who almost gave up bike racing last winter
- 
'I have been suffering all year. I don't want to suffer here' - Tom Pidcock earns a stage victory at Gravel Burn while Matt Beers holds lead with two days to goAshleigh Moolman-Pasio takes commanding GC lead for elite women as Axelle Dubau-Prevot scores three stage wins
- 
'Paperwork issues' holding up Jayco AlUla and Liv AlUla Jayco UCI registrations for 2026 ironed outTeam confirms all documents have been submitted for men's and women's WorldTour teams
- 
Q36.5 sign Sam Bennett to complete 2026 line-upIrish sprinter inks one-year deal after two seasons at Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale




