{"id":202099,"date":"2025-09-12T12:03:03","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T12:03:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=202099"},"modified":"2025-09-12T12:03:03","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T12:03:03","slug":"gc-victory-in-balance-as-la-vuelta-heads-to-final-showdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/09\/12\/gc-victory-in-balance-as-la-vuelta-heads-to-final-showdown\/","title":{"rendered":"GC Victory in Balance as La Vuelta Heads to Final Showdown"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is something odd about this Vuelta Ciclista a Espa\u00f1a. The racing itself \u2013 exciting though it often was \u2013 has lacked a certain panache, for want of a better word. Perhaps this was because the two main rivals, Jonas Vinegaard (Visma\u2013Lease a Bike) and Jo\u00e3o Almeida (UAE Team Emirates\u2013XRG), have not been at their best when it counted.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Two tired favorites <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Almeida may have come into the third week of the Vuelta with tired legs caused by his team\u2019s hunger for stage victories, rather than winning the GC. UAE has won seven stages so far and Almeida may yet win the red jersey, but the Portuguese team leader deserved better. I have stopped counting the stages on which he was left to ride alone on steep summit finishes while his alleged domestiques, weary from trying to win stages or saving themselves for the next stage, abandoned him to his fate.<\/p>\n

Fortunately for him, Vingegaard<\/a> is also not at his best, whether it was from the many mountains he has climbed, the lingering effects of having ridden a very tough Tour de France or suffering from an illness that has affected the peloton and caused several riders to drop out. It could be the latter, for he was caught coughing on camera at the end of Thursday\u2019s time trial, which saw him lose 10 seconds to his rival. But whatever the reason, it was wearisome to see the two favorites ride together again on the tough ascent to the summit of the Alto de El Morredero (8.8km @ 9.5%) on Wednesday\u2019s stage 17 without mounting even the shadow of an attack.<\/p>\n

“I didn’t have the very best day for me but I survived,\u201d Vingegaard said. \u201cThat’s the days you need to survive \u2013 the days you don’t feel 100%. If you can get through those without losing any time, that’s a good day.” So the Dane was in survival mood.<\/p>\n

As for Almeida, he didn\u2019t feel great either. “[Vingegaard] was not looking super. But I didn’t as well. I think we’re all a little bit in the same boat,” he said. Because of the final climb, this was yet another supposedly \u201cdecisive\u201d stage for the GC that wasn\u2019t. But it was decisive for the 21-year-old Red Bull\u2013BORA\u2013hansgrohe prodigy Giulio Pellizzari, who did what Vingegaard and Almeida should have done and attacked. He burst out of the small GC group 3.4km from the finish and rode alone to win the first professional victory of his career. Tom Pidcock (Q36.5) finished second, 16 seconds behind, while the Briton\u2019s main rival for the final podium spot, Red Bull\u2019s Jai Hindley, finished third, at 18 seconds. All three were stronger than the two race favorites, who failed to pick up any bonus seconds at the finish.<\/p>\n

\u00a0“I suffered on the hardest section, but I felt that today could be my day and so it was,” Pellizzari said after the stage, as reported by the Italian site sport.quotidiano.net<\/a>. \u201cThis is the best moment of my career, even if it is clearly short so far. Today I had the strange feeling that it could be my day. I have to thank my teammates and of course\u00a0Jai [Hindley].\u201d<\/p>\n

Bernal, at last!<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) celebrated his first Grand Tour victory in four years and his first WorldTour win since his life-threatening crash in 2022 when he outsprinted Mikel Landa (T-Rex Quick-Step) \u2013 another rider returning from a bad injury \u2013 at the end of yet another stage shortened by protesters.<\/p>\n

The two riders were what remained of a 17-rider breakaway that broke away from the peleton with about 118km left to ride, though the final route distance was unclear after organizers eliminated the final climb and set up the finish line about 8km from the original finish because protesters had blocked the road.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter I dropped out of the GC I really wanted a win,” Bernal said. “And actually, I wanted to win with the national [Colombian champion’s] jersey, which means a lot for me. To win a stage in the Vuelta is something that I was really looking for after everything that [has] passed in the last few years for me.\u201d.<\/p>\n

He went on to say, “Until the end, apart from the last climb, it was a beautiful stage, super hard. The whole day we were going super full gas. Even with Landa, the cooperation was super good. And when we knew that the final would be at 8km to go, we just sprinted.”<\/p>\n

I think every rider in the peloton and every cycling fan was delighted for the Colombian, who has been patiently working for something to celebrate again. And credit to the staff at INEOS Grenadiers, who were also patient and so also deserved this reward. And to celebrate the victory as well as Ben Turner\u2019s win on stage 4, two INEOS riders, Brandon Rivera and\u00a0Michal Kwiatkowski, had their heads shaved by Filippo Ganna.<\/p>\n

\"Filippo<\/a>
Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) clung to victory by the narrowest of margins in the stage 18 time trial at the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a, beating Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) by just 0.9 seconds in Valladolid. \u00a9 Profimedia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A close shave<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Ganna will now have to scalp himself because he won Thursday\u2019s stage 18 time trial, beating UAE\u2019s double-stage winner Jay Vine by 1 second. A very close shave indeed! Almeida finished third, 8 seconds adrift but 10 seconds ahead of Vingegaard, who finished ninth. The UAE leader now trails the Visma leader by only 40 seconds ahead of Saturday\u2019s, yes, decisive stage.<\/p>\n

Luckily for the Dane, the stage was shortened by organizers from 27.2 km to 12.2 km because of the threats of yet another protest. Otherwise, he would have lost more time to Almeida. I guess we will have to wait for Saturday\u2019s penultimate stage 20 and the final summit finish on the Bola del Mundo (12.4km @ 8.6%, with the final kilometer averaging about 12%) to finally have a decisive battle in this race.<\/p>\n

But all in all, it was an exciting time trial, with Vine losing by the smallest of margins, 0.9 seconds, to the best time trial rider in the world and falling just short of winning his third stage in the race and his team\u2019s eighth. “I went all-in, emptied the tank, and came up less than one second short of the win,\u201d the 29-year-old Australian said on Instagram, as reported by Cyclingnews<\/em><\/a>. \u201cHonestly, I\u2019m absolutely gutted. To prepare for one thing, have it flipped overnight, and then miss by the smallest of margins \u2013 it stings badly. Chapeau to Ganna, he was a beast out on the road today.”<\/p>\n

The barbering \u201cbeast\u201d was of course delighted with his win and \u00a0also for grabbing INEOS\u2019s third win of the Vuelta. “I struggled to find my rhythm in the first part of the course, so then I just tried to push with everything I had, without thinking about the numbers or anything,\u201d he said. “I’m really happy about today. It’s been a really good Vuelta for the team and we’ll try to do the best for the rest of the race.”<\/p>\n

Another rider delighted with his performance was Q36.5\u2019s Tom Pidcock, who padded his advantage over Hindley for the third podium spot by 3 seconds. Not known for his time-trialing, he finished 22nd in the stage, and now leads Hindley by 39 seconds with three stages left to ride.<\/p>\n

“I think that was my best-ever time trial, looking at the numbers I was doing,” Pidcock said afterwards. “So I can be pretty happy. We didn’t focus it all on the time-trialing before this, you know. I wanted to improve my climbing, and I did a team time trial session and a team time trial [on stage 5]. So I felt super strong, to be honest.”<\/p>\n

If the Vuelta has lacked some decisive GC drama so far, we can at least look forward to a dramatic finale, with the podium standings still in the balance.<\/p>\n

Results of Stage 18 of the 2025 Vuelta Ciclista a Espa\u00f1a<\/strong><\/h4>\n

1. Filippo Ganna, INEOS Grenadiers \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a013:00
\n2. Jay Vine, UAE Team Emirates\u2013XRG\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0+ 0:01
\n3. Jo\u00e3o Almeida, UAE Team Emirates\u2013XRG\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 + 0:08
\n4. Bruno Armirail, Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0+ 0:09
\n5. Ivo Oliveira, UAE Team Emirates\u2013XRG\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0+ 0:10
\n6. Stefan K\u00fcng, Groupama-FDJ\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +0:11
\n7. Kelland O’Brien (Aus) Jayco-AlUla\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0+ 0:14
\n8. Alec Segaert, Lotto\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0+ 0:15
\n9. Jonas Vingegaard, Visma\u2013Lease a Bike\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 + 0:18
\n10. Daan Hoole, Lidl-Trek\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0+ 0:18<\/p>\n

General classification after stage 18<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Jonas Vingegaard, Visma\u2013Lease a Bike \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a065:07:13
\n2. Jo\u00e3o Almeida, UAE Team Emirates\u2013XRG\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0+ 0:40
\n3. Tom Pidcock, Q36.5 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0+2:39
\n4. Jai Hindley, Red Bull\u2013BORA\u2013hansgrohe\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +3:18
\n5. Giulio Pellizzari, Red Bull\u2013BORA\u2013hansgrohe\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0+4:19
\n6. Matthew Riccitello, Israel\u2013Premier Tech\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +5:17
\n7. Felix Gall, Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0+5:20
\n8. Matthew Riccitello, Israel\u2013Premier Tech\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +7:26
\n9. Torstein Tr\u00e6en, Bahrain-Victorious\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0+7:42
\n10. Matteo Jorgenson, Visma\u2013Lease a Bike\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +10:19<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There is something odd about this Vuelta Ciclista a Espa\u00f1a. The racing itself \u2013 exciting though it often was \u2013 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":202100,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[329],"tags":[8642,2621,4293,4479,5450,479],"global-categories":[3366],"class_list":["post-202099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-road-cycling","tag-2025-la-vuelta","tag-egan-bernal","tag-filippo-ganna","tag-joao-almeida","tag-jonas-vingegaard","tag-la-vuelta","global-categories-cycling"],"yoast_head":"\nGC Victory in Balance as La Vuelta Heads to Final Showdown - \u0160koda We Love Cycling<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There is something odd about this Vuelta Ciclista a Espa\u00f1a. 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