Vuelta a España stage 18 – Live coverage

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All the action from the final mountain stage up to Gamoniteiru

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Hola and welcome to the Cyclingnews live coverage of stage 18 of the Vuelta a España.

As the riders gather for the roll-out of Salas, it's time to prepare for another terrible mountain stage.

The riders are on the move for the neutralised ride out of Salas. 

The riders face an 11.7km neutralised ride before the flag drops for the 162.6km stage.  

Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) is riding on the front in the leader's red jersey. 

As Barry Ryan wrote in his stage report, Roglič’s superiority brooked no argument, though the dramatic nature of his victory owed much to the invention of Egan Bernal, who had launched the winning move with an ambitious offensive on the Collada Llomena with some 61km remaining.

Roglič punched the air with one fist as he crossed the finish line, while his teammate Sepp Kuss won the sprint for second place at 1:36, leading home a group containing Miguel Angel Lopez (Movistar), Adam Yates (Ineos), Enric Mas (Movistar), Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious) and Bernal.

To read our full stage report and study the full results and enjoy our photo gallery, click below.

Vamos! The flag is waved the stage starts. 

Five riders failed to finish yesterday and others did not start today. 

Armée wrote on social media: 

We have the first attacks of the day as riders try to get into the early break. 

The Vuelta discovers a new monster climb today, with 162.6km of racing towards the summit finish at Altu d’El Gamoniteiru. It is atop a 14.6km climb with an average gradient of 9.8%. 

Four riders have a 15-second gap but the peloton is riding at speed.

Here comes another group, as other riders try to get in the move of the day. 

150km to go

Wow. We have 32 riders in the break. 

Even Jumbo-Visma have a rider in there, in Koen Bouwman. 

Rafal Majka (UAE Team Emirates) is there, as is another mountain stage winner Michael Storer (Team DSM). 

The break's lead is up to 3:00. 

There is no threats to the GC riders in the break, so the 32 could be allowed to open a big lead during the stage.

Majka is best placed but is 54:15 down on Roglic. 

The 32 riders are lined out as some push the pace. As always, others are hiding in the wheels, trying to get a free ride. 

This is the shake out of riders in the attack. 

Bahrain Victorious are the only team not in the break and so are leading the peloton in pursuit.  

The riders are deep in the Asturias valley, riding between the trees on fast roads. 

This is the Puertu de San Llaurienzu.

130km to go

The 32-rider breakaway is leading by 4:00 as the team classification could also come into play.

The 32 are working through and off in the break, with teams with more than none rider in the move doing extra turns by their weaker climbers. 

These are the 32 adventurers. 

Here we go. 

The Puertu de San Llaurienzu is the first of four major climbs in the 162.6km stage.

It’s a sign of just how many tough gradients stage 18 contains that it manages to pack 4,500 metres of vertical climbing into just 162 kilometres. The only other mountainous day in the Vuelta with as much vertical climbing, stage 9 to Velefique with 4,593 metres, was nearly 30 kilometres longer.

To fully understand what is come in the stage, click below to read Alasdair Fotheringham's full stage preview. 

Two riders have already been dropped from the attack: Le Gac and Gamper.

115km to go

However the gap is up to 5:00. 

James Piccolo (Israel Start-Up Nation) has edged clear of the break, perhaps to help him later when the steep gradients return or to shake out the break. 

As the road rises, the cloud level nears. Fortunately the roads are dry so far. 

Ouch. 

110km to go

Piccolo is fighting on out front. The Canadian is one of only three Israel riders left in the Vuelta.

Everyone in the attack is spinning their legs on the climb. 

As the top of the Puertu de San Llaurienzu climb, Piccoll is pulled back.

Storer jumps early and so takes maximum points. 

Majka was there too ands is close in the KOM classification. However he didn't really fight to take maximum points.

The break is on the fast descent of the Puertu de San Llaurienzu. They can enjoy a long valley road to the next climb.

100km to

Bahrain have five riders on the front as they chase the attack and split the peloton. 

The Roglic GC group is 40 seconds ahead of the split. 

The two GC groups are coming back together on the flat valley road.  The split showed the speed of the descent and the importance of position. 

The peloton is lined out and still riding at speed. There has been little respite so far despite riders being tired after 17 intense days of racing. 

up ahead, the break starts the next climb, the Altu de la Cobertoria.

The 30 riders in the attack are grabbing musettes and food. 

80km to go

The climb starts but Jens Keukeleire beats fellow Belgian Stan de Wolf to take the intermediate sprint. It seemed to be a personal sprint-off and a bit of fun to break up the fatigue of the day.
 

As the climb begins to hurt, Thymen Arensman ups the pace for DSM teammate Michael Storer. 

Wisely Rafa Majka and others come across to the move.  

The peloton is at 3:20 as Bahrain pull them along. 

There are 3.5km left to climb with 22 riders still up front. 

Arensman is going deep to try to make Storer's rivals hurt. 

Fabio Aru was distaced but has fought his way back. 

It is tempting to suggest that Aru felt liberated by his imminent retirement, though he politely dismisses the idea. Even so, the smiling, relaxed figure at this Vuelta contrasts heavily with the withdrawn young man of yesteryear, who sometimes gave the gloomy impression that he had been somehow doomed to a life of contending for Grand Tours.

70km to go

Storer pushes on alone to chase the KOM points. 

Storer is closing in on the KOM lead of teammate Romain Bardet.  

Storer reaches the top of the Altu de la Cobertoria to score 10 more points. That gives him a total of 54 and so the lead in the blue polka-dot jersey.

The best of the rest of the break is 30 seconds down. 

Storer is not waiting for the chasers and diving through the mist on the descent.

Storer pushes on, making the chasers work hard to go after him. 

Storer has gained good time on his rivals. 

-50km

This has been a brave move from Storer, who still has 15km or so of valley road before he hits the base of the penultimate climb, the Cordal.

Movistar and Bahrain Victorious are setting the tempo in the red jersey group, which has closed to within 4:30 of Storer. 

-42km

-40km

-37km

35km to go

Movistar and Bahrain are leading the peloton on the valley road, saving their climbers for later.

up front, Storer is about to start the  Cat 2 Altu la Segá o del Cordal climb. 

There are a lot of serious faces in the peloton. This pace is hurting everyone. 

As the steeper parts of the Altu la Segá o del Cordal kick-in, the peloton is about to seep up the rest of the attack.  

A long distance move by Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) on stage 17 failed to work out for the Colombian, but it earned widespread praise for his courageous attempt to blow the race apart.

25km to go

Rafal Majka is leading the line for UAE after being in the break all day. He didn't have the legs to go for the stage victory today. 

Behind Storer teammate Romain Bardet has attacked, to also score KOM points. 

Storer reaches the peak of the climb and begins the technical descent. 

Bardet is with Mikel Bizkarra of Euskaltel and kicks to be second over the summit of the Altu la Segá o del Cordal.

The peloton is also over the top of the climb and begin the twisting descent.

This is the steep, steep profile of the Altu d’El Gamoniteiru.

13km to go

Bahrain lead the peloton onto the climb to set-up Jack Haig. 

Bardet is caught as Movistar help Bahrain set the pace. 

The Altu d’El Gamoniteiru is 14.6km long at 9.8%

Both the Gamoniteiru and the Angliru ascents are roads to nowhere, as in they are former tracks for cow herders to reach high pastures and do not lead up to any villages or even a ski station. Where the tarmac ends then, so does the climb. 

It will take about 50 minutes to climb to the finish.

Lets hope the riders have got low gears for the long haul.  

11km to go

We can see leader Primoz Roglic in the peloton. 

Geoffrey Bouchard (AG2R Citroën) pushes on and is joined by David de la Cruz (UAE). 

This is the quiet before the storm, as all the riders treat the Altu d’El Gamoniteiru with respect. 

Bouchard is about to be caught but Storer is still 1:50 clear. 

Not much was expected of De la Cruz's surge but he's closing on Storer and the peloton has not reacted and are at 1:00. 

7km to go

Roglic is letting Intermarche set the pace for Meintjes. 

De la Cruz has distanced Storer.  

Lopez and Mas are there, so is Kuss. 

Adam Yates can't hold the pace as Bernal goes again. 

Bernal is riding to move up the GC. 

Fortunately the mist means the riders can't see the mountains around them or the road ahead.

The road is narrow, it's just a asphalted animal track used by farmers to move their animals to higher pastures. 

Lopez attacks alone to surge across to De la Cruz.

Kuss is leading the line for Roglic, that dissuades attacks. 

2.5km to go

Lopez pushes on alone as the steepest gradients bite hard. 

We speak too soon. Roglic ups the pace to hurt all his rivals.  

Only Mas and Bernal can hang onto his wheel as the close in on De la Cruz. 

Boom! Bernal attacks but Roglic responds.  

1km to go

Lopez dances on the pedals but he's suffering on the 15% gradient.

Lopez pushes through mist to win alone! 

Roglic accelerates behind to take second place and more bonus seconds.

Every rider fought for every second on the terrible steep finish. 

Lopez punches the air as he crosses the line. 

This is the top ten for the stage: 

This is the general classification after stage 18:

What a stage? What a finish. 

Here's Lopez on the attack.

Lopez's attack lifted him to 2:53 down on Roglic, with Movistar teammate Mas at 2:30.  

To understand what it was like out there, watch the final kilometre.  

Here's Roglic before the pain of the final climb.

Michael Storer was unable to stay away and win the stage but he scored enough points to take the KOM jersey from teammate Romain Bardet. 

For our full stage report, growing photo gallery and full results, click below. 

Primož Roglič admitted he suffered today after being on the attack yesterday with Bernal.

With the high mountains done, Roglic admitted he was a step close to overall victory.

Fabio Jakobsen and Deceuninck-QuickStep were also happy to have made the time cut and so defended the green points jersey.

Thanks for joining us for full live coverage from the Queen stage of the Vuelta. 

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