Vuelta a España Stage Report: Urko Berrade (Kern Pharma) won the eighteenth stage of the Vuelta a España. The Spaniard won from a big break, giving his team a third Vuelta victory. Mauro Schmid (Jayco-AlUla) and Pau Miquel (also Kern) finished second and third. Among the favourites, Mikel Landa, Adam Yates and Sepp Kuss had a bad day. They lost a lot of time after the race was split on the climb of the Puerto Herrera. Ben O’Connor remains the overall leader.
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The finla K of stage 18
Vuelta race director, Fernando Escartín: “This mid-mountain stage in Álava, with two Category 2 climbs and one Category 1 climb, has the potential to eliminate the purest sprinters from the peloton. Fast riders who manage to do well in the mid-mountain could become favourites in stages such as this one, which is likely to result in a reduced peloton sprinting towards the finish-line.”
Stage 18 profile
Stage 18: The Vuelta will be in the Basque Country for a day for stage 18, between Vittoria Gasteiz and Maeztu. This should be a stage for an escapees, with a few Basque climbs in the final. The start is in the Basque capital of Vitoria-Gasteiz. The biggest climbs in the stage are after 77 kilometres and 130 kilometres; the Alto de Rivas de Tereso (11.1km at 3.4%) and the Puerto Herrera (5.5km at 8.4%). The second climb could cause a split. After the Puerto Herrera, there are 45 kilometres without any categorised climbs to the finish, but it is not flat. The road rises for 3 kilometres at 5%, 7.5 kilometres from the finish.
T-Rex was at the start – Soudal’s very strong glue
The eighteenth stage of the Vuelta was expected to be one for the puncheurs in a break. The difficult stage started in Vitoria-Gasteiz and from the gun there was an exceptionally high pace, which pulled many riders back. Stefan Küng, two-time stage winner Pablo Castrillo and Riley Sheehan, all failed to make their moves stick.
Sepp Kuss probably not having the Vuelta he hoped for
The pace in the peloton was so high that splits started to appear. Overall leader, Ben O’Connor, missed one acceleration and ended up in a chasing group. The Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale rider eventually closed the gap, but it took some of his strength. After 45 kilometres there was a proper break.
New bike for Kaden Groves – Not sure about that green
It was a large group of 42 riders, including: Steven Kruijswijk, Attila Valter (Visma | Lease a Bike), Brandon McNulty, Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates), Jhonatan Narváez (INEOS Grenadiers), Mauri Vansevenant (Soudal Quick-Step), Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek), Aleksandr Vlasov (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Dstny), Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ), Oier Lazkano (Movistar), Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla), Max Poole, Tim Naberman (dsm-firmenich-PostNL), Ion Izagirre (Cofidis), Harold Tejada (Astana Qazaqstan) and Castrillo (Equipo Kern Pharma).
Yes, we are in the Basque Country – Euskadi
Three teams had missed the break: Intermarché-Wanty, Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale and home Basque team, Euskaltel-Euskadi. Euskaltel-Euskadi put themselves on the front of the peloton to pull the break back, but that was hopeless. They didn’t give up and Mikel Bazkarra and Gotzon Martín attacked together on one of the climbs and were joined by Victor Lafay and George Bennett and some others, hoping to get to the leading group. That didn’t work. Küng, Schmid and Vacek had attacked the large group and had a lead of 30 seconds.
Riley Sheehan (Israel-Premier Tech) on the attack
Everyone wanted to be in the break
There was a big battle for the split
There was over 40 riders in the break of the day
Three riders didn’t want to wait
Swiss champ, Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla) was off the front again
Stage 16 winner Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) was also up there
Another win for Kern Pharma – Urko Berrade
Stage winner, Urko Berrade (Kern Pharma): “Without a doubt, it’s a dream. The stage closer to home, with all my family watching me, friends, in the last stages of La Vuelta… When there are so few opportunities left it seemed complicated to get a stage. I’ve been close in others, but it’s incredible. As we had strength in numbers after the hardest climb of the day, I’ve been controlling the group so that Pau [Miquel] could have his chance as an our fast man. But at the end, that last climb, with everyone pretty cooked, they told me: ‘You all have a chance, try it.’ I tried from there almost without looking back, I tried not to look back. They told me: ‘To the finish line, to the finish line!’ I didn’t see myself as the winner until I crossed the finish line. No doubt it comes from a great previous work that we have done. Since the beginning of the season we had La Vuelta in mind. We have made an impressive preparation, and this is not the result of chance. At the beginning of La Vuelta, Juanjo [Oroz], the team manager, told me: ‘You have to become famous’. And it’s difficult for me because I’m not a big media guy, but I think, with this victory, maybe I have a chance.”
# Keep it PEZ for the Vuelta a España big finale. #
Vuelta a España Stage 18 Result:
1. Urko Berrade Fernandez (Spa) Equipo Kern Pharma in 4:00:52
2. Mauro Schmid (Sui) Jayco AlUla at 0:04
3. Pau Miquel Delgado (Spa) Equipo Kern Pharma
4. Max Poole (GB) dsm-firmenich-PostNL
5. Aleksander Vlasov (-) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
6. Oier Lazkano (Spa) Movistar
7. Ion Izagirre Insausti (Spa) Cofidis
8. Mathias Vacek (CZ) Lidl-Trek
9. Pablo Castrillo Zapater (Spa) Equipo Kern Pharma
10. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:11.
Vuelta a España Overall After Stage 18:
1. Ben O’Connor (Aus) Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale
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