Vuelta a España 2025 stage 18 preview: Jonas Vingegaard looks to 'make it right this time' after stumble in 2023 Valladolid time trial

By , last updated

September 11, 2025, Stage 18: Valladolid - Valladolid (ITT), reduced to 12.2kms from 27.2kms given expected protests

The original stage profile for the 2025 Vuelta a España, which has now been shortened though the start and finish remain the same
The original stage profile for the 2025 Vuelta a España, which has now been shortened though the start and finish remain the same (Image credit: Lavuelta.es)
Jump to:

Stage 18 of the Vuelta a España delivers the 2025 race's one individual time trial and in classic Vuelta contrareloj country in Valladolid to boot.

Filippo Ganna won the last race against the clock here in 2023, and it proved crucial for leader Sepp Kuss, too, who produced a much better-than-expected TT performance and radically increased his chances of overall victory.

It will, however, now be a much shorter time trial this time as the original 27.2km course has been slashed to just 12.2km as the race braces for more protests.

Still, the memories of the course that starts and finishes in Valladolid from two years ago aren't welcome ones for current race leader Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) as he looks ahead to the now 12.2km race against the clock which has only a small slope at the beginning.

He lost 1:18 to winner Ganna in the 2023 stage 10 time trial of 25.8km but, more importantly, given the current scenario, that day he lost 28 seconds to the UAE Team Emirates rider João Almeida, who is now his nearest rival in the race for red.

There is also a battle at play for the final podium spot, with just 36 seconds between third placed Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) and fourth-placed Jai Hindley (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe). The 2022 Giro d'Italia winner may well have the advantage when it comes to the race against the clock – he has put time into the Q36.5 rider in each of the Tirreno-Adriatico opening time trials where they have met the past two years.

Time checks

  • First intermediate time check at 8.4km
  • Second intermediate time check at 18.7km
Simone Giuliani
Simone Giuliani
Australia Editor

Simone is a degree-qualified journalist that has accumulated decades of wide-ranging experience while working across a variety of leading media organisations. She joined Cyclingnews as a Production Editor at the start of the 2021 season and has now moved into the role of Australia Editor. Previously she worked as a freelance writer, Australian Editor at Ella CyclingTips and as a correspondent for Reuters and Bloomberg. Cycling was initially purely a leisure pursuit for Simone, who started out as a business journalist, but in 2015 her career focus also shifted to the sport.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Latest on Cyclingnews