Filippo Ganna has replicated his time trial victory from two years prior in Valladolid.
Italy’s Filippo Ganna secured a win in the shortened individual time trial on Stage 18 of the Vuelta a Espana, while Britain’s Tom Pidcock maintained his third-place position in the overall standings.
Joao Almeida of UAE Team Emirates-XRG, currently second in the general classification, managed to close the gap on overall race leader Jonas Vingegaard by 10 seconds.
The stage distance was reduced from 27.2km to 12.2km to ensure “greater protection” for the riders, following security concerns stemming from a series of pro-Palestinian demonstrations throughout the three-week race.
Police presence was also increased, with hundreds of protestors waving flags along the route and directing whistles towards riders from Israel-Premier Tech.
AFP reported that two protestors were taken into custody after attempting to breach security barriers.
Two-time world time trial champion Ganna, 29, lived up to expectations, with the Ineos Grenadiers rider narrowly beating Australia’s Jay Vine by a single second in Valladolid.
“Given the announcement regarding the altered parcours last night, it felt a bit unusual, but I aimed to perform my best today,” stated Ganna, who achieved a time that was 10 seconds faster than any other competitor over the final four kilometers.
“In the initial segment, I struggled to find the right rhythm, but in the final stretch, I pushed through without focusing on the numbers. I’m genuinely pleased with today’s outcome.”
While Ganna’s impressive finish secured his victory over Vine, the primary focus remained on the competition at the top of the general classification.
Almeida concluded strongly, gaining time on Visma-Lease A Bike’s Vingegaard. The Portuguese rider now trails the Dane by 40 seconds, with two competitive stages remaining.
Q36.5 Pro Cycling’s Pidcock finished 29 seconds behind Ganna but extended his advantage over Australia’s Jai Hindley by three seconds in their battle for the final podium position.
With a relatively flat 161.9km stage from Rueda to Guijuelo scheduled for Friday, anticipation is building for Saturday’s penultimate stage in the mountains, culminating in a summit finish on the Bola del Mundo.
Could protests lead to Vuelta being abandoned?
1. Filippo Ganna (Ita/Ineos Grenadiers)13mins 00secs
2. Jay Vine (Aus/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +1secs
3. Joao Almeida (Por/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +8secs
4. Bruno Armirail (Fra/Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) +10secs
5. Ivo Oliveira (Por/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +11secs
6. Stefan Kung (Swi/Groupama-FDJ) +12secs
7. Kelland O’Brien (Aus/Team Jayco-AlUla) +15secs
8. Alec Segaert (Bel/Lotto) +16secs
9. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Visma-Lease a Bike) +18secs
10. Daan Hoole (Ned/Lidl-Trek) +19
1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Visma-Lease a Bike) 65hrs 7mins 13secs
2. Joao Almeida (Por/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +40secs
3. Tom Pidcock (GB/Q36.5 Pro Cycling) +2mins 39secs
4. Jai Hindley (Aus/Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) +3mins 18secs
5. Giulio Pellizzari (Ita/Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) +4mins 19secs
6. Matthew Riccitello (US/Israel-Premier Tech) +5mins 17secs
7. Felix Gall (Aut/Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) +5mins 20secs
8. Sepp Kuss (US/Visma-Lease a Bike) +7mins 26secs
9. Torstein Traeen (Nor/Bahrain Victorious +7mins 42secs
10. Matteo Jorgenson (US/Visma-Lease a Bike) +10mins 19secs