Schedule and key points of the time trial that could decide La Vuelta 2026

La Vuelta a España 2026 enters this Thursday into one of its decisive days. Stage 18 will be an individual time trial of just over 32 kilometers between El Puerto de Santa María and Jerez de la Frontera, a fast route for specialists in which Primož Roglič will have his great opportunity to cut the 2:10 that separates him from Enric Mas before the two mountain stages.

Stage 18 of La Vuelta a España 2026: route, schedule, and key points

• Date: Thursday, September 10
• Start: El Puerto de Santa María
• Finish: Jerez de la Frontera
• Distance: 32.5 km
• Type: individual time trial
• Elevation gain: around 169 m+
• First rider: Mathias Norsgaard, 14:07
• Last rider: Enric Mas, 16:55
• Intermediate points: km 11.7 and km 22.1
• Key: fast route, little technicality, and clearly favorable to specialists
• General: Enric Mas leads Felix Gall by 2:06 and Primož Roglič by 2:10

This is how Stage 18 of La Vuelta a España 2026 will be

It will be the second individual time trial of this Vuelta and will have very little in common with the 9.4 kilometers of technicality in Monaco that opened the race.

After leaving El Puerto de Santa María through a first succession of curves, the riders will find long stretches where they can maintain an aerodynamic position and push big gears. The accumulated elevation gain is barely around 170 meters, and there are no significant climbs.

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The two reference points will be located after 11.7 and 22.1 kilometers, before facing the final approach to Jerez de la Frontera.

It will not be a particularly technical time trial either. There are some curves and two small ascending sections after 20 kilometers, but the ability to maintain power for more than half an hour should be much more important than bike handling.

Roglič has his great opportunity against Enric Mas

The stage victory will be interesting in itself, but much of the attention will be focused on the last three riders to start.

Enric Mas will start at 16:55, two minutes after Felix Gall and four after Primož Roglič. The leader will likely face the most complicated test he has left to maintain the red jersey before the two mountain stages.

Mas has 2:10 over Roglič, a considerable difference for 32 kilometers, although the Slovenian is historically clearly superior against the clock. In 2021, Mas lost more than two minutes to Roglič in a 33.8 km time trial of La Vuelta, and in 2022 he conceded 1:03 in 30.9 km.

From Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, they have calculated that, under normal circumstances, Roglič could recover around one and a half minutes, although the team itself also acknowledges that Mas is performing better against the clock. This aligns with Movistar's prediction that Enric will lose between 50 and 70 seconds tomorrow to Roglič. Even in that scenario, the Spaniard would retain part of his advantage before returning to the mountains.

Felix Gall starts second at 2:06, but the terrain plays much less in his favor. For the Austrian, limiting losses to Roglič will be as important as trying to close the gap to Mas.

There will also be significant movements further down. Oscar Onley and Jakob Omrzel, fifth and sixth, are separated by only 30 seconds before a stage that should favor the Briton.

Hayter and Küng among the top favorites to win the time trial

If we set aside the general classification battle, Ethan Hayter stands out as one of the clearest names for victory. The British champion was very close to winning the initial time trial in Monaco, and a long and fast effort like this fits even better with his characteristics.

The other great specialist is Stefan Küng. The lower technical demands compared to Monaco play in favor of the Swiss, who also arrives at this final part of the season trying to regain his best form before the World Championships.

Primož Roglič should also be directly among the candidates. He is the current Slovenian champion against the clock, and although his priority will be the general classification, he needs to perform a maximum time trial.

Among the following names, Bruno Armirail, Mattias Skjelmose, Finn Fisher-Black, Andreas Leknessund, Ivo Oliveira, and Oscar Chamberlain stand out.

The unknown is Wout van Aert. He has more than enough quality to contest the stage, but after the enormous work done during La Vuelta and with two victories already secured, he might choose to reserve his strength. If he decides to race the time trial at maximum intensity, he automatically enters among the favorites.

All start times for Stage 18 of La Vuelta a España 2026

The riders will initially depart at one-minute intervals. Starting from Raúl García Pierna, the separation will increase, and the top ten in the general classification will start every two minutes. The provided order places Mathias Norsgaard as the first participant at 14:07 and Enric Mas as the last at 16:55.