Stefan Küng of the Swiss team INEOS Grenadiers won the individual time trial in the 18th stage of the Vuelta a España, a prestigious three-week cycling race across Spain. The stage covered 32.1 kilometers between El Puerto de Santa Maria and Jerez de la Frontera, a mostly flat route that favored time-trial specialists. Küng completed the course in 35 minutes and 22.82 seconds, securing his 24th professional time trial victory and his second win at the Vuelta. Callum Thornley of Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe came in second, three seconds behind Küng, while Joao Almeida of UAE Team Emirates-XRG took third place, finishing eight seconds behind the winner. Enric Mas of Movistar Team retained the overall lead in the general classification, which determines the race winner. However, his lead was reduced by 33 seconds after the time trial, leaving him with a one-minute and 37-second advantage over Primoz Roglic of Lotto-Dstny. Roglic, who finished fourth in the time trial, moved up to second place in the standings, overtaking Felix Gall, who struggled and finished over a minute and 30 seconds behind the Slovenian. Mas, who is more known for his climbing ability than his time-trialing skills, managed to limit the damage and now leads Roglic by 1 minute and 37 seconds and Gall by 3 minutes and 1 second. The time trial was seen as a crucial challenge for Mas, who has excelled in mountainous stages but is less dominant in time trials. The route was designed to favor riders who specialize in time trials, and none of the top 10 riders in the general classification had previously beaten Roglic in a time trial. This trend continued after the 18th stage, as Roglic maintained his position despite the challenging conditions. The Vuelta will continue with two mountain stages before the final finish, which will likely test the climbers once again. With three stages remaining, the battle for the overall title remains intense, as both Mas and Roglic have strong points in different types of terrain. The final stages will determine who emerges as the overall winner of this year’s race.