Stage 18

The road

At the start

The Gamoniteiru, for the first time

Roglič took red back at Covadonga and leads Mas by 2:22, López by 3:11 and Bernal by 4:29; Eiking's fortnight in the jersey ended with nine minutes lost on one descent. Mikel Landa is among five who abandoned. Today ends on the Gamoniteiru — fourteen kilometres at nearly ten per cent, the Angliru's neighbour, never climbed by this race before.

How it was won

1. 122 km to go

   Bardet collects, Storer builds

   Storer has extended his lead to 2:30 as Movistar and Bahrain sit back and UAE take command. Near the summit Bardet attacks with Bizkarra for the mountains points, then drops him on the short descent.

2. 215 km to go

   Onto the Gamoniteiru

   Fourteen and a half kilometres averaging 9.8 per cent with pitches of seventeen — a climb the Vuelta has never used before. Storer starts it two minutes up; Bardet is caught inside a kilometre.

3. 38 km to go

   Hirt's tempo does the damage

   Eight kilometres from the top Intermarché hit the front for Meintjes and the group of favourites instantly collapses to fifteen. Martin and Großschartner are gone; Storer, out front all day, finally cracks.

4. 44 km to go

   López attacks into the cloud

   Four kilometres out, on a brief respite in the gradient, the Colombian spins clear and is gone before anyone reacts. He catches De la Cruz where the road stiffens viciously inside three kilometres, accelerates past him too, and disappears upward into the mist with thirty seconds on the best riders in the race.

5. 52 km to go

   Roglič goes after him

   Two kilometres left and the red jersey launches a seated acceleration that only Mas and Bernal can follow. Bernal attacks again himself, twice, and each time Roglič is simply there.

6. 6At the line

   Altu d'El Gamoniteiru

   López does not crack on the super-steep final ramps and wins the queen stage. Roglič produces his trademark uphill sprint to close to fourteen seconds — and takes yet more time out of everyone else.

The result