Favorites stage 18 Vuelta a España 2024 | Before challenging final weekend through the Basque Country!
Cycling
The final weekend of the Vuelta a Espana is now well and truly in sight, but before we get to the decisive stage, there is a stage on Thursday that could go in several different directions. A typical Vuelta stage is on the line: rugged, but how tough? IDLProCycling .com elaborates on it.
Route stage 18 Vuelta a España 2024
The riders continue their journey through northern Spain with a stage through the Valhalla of cycling: the Basque Country! With start in Vitoria-Gasteiz, the present riders from the cycling-mad region, the team Euskaltel-Euskadi and all the fans from the region will be willing to make something beautiful out of it on Thursday. So expect an orange rain at the start!
Knowing that there will be challenging mountain stages on Friday and Saturday and that the Vuelta will end on Sunday with an individual time trial, you can fill in that this will be the last chance for stage success for many riders. So expect a battle from the start, which the course also lends itself to. Apart from some tricky climbs, there are no challenging mountains in the first half of the stage, so many riders can take their chances.
After about seventy kilometers, the second category, Alto de Rivas del Tesero (11.1 km at 3.4%), looms up, but these gradients do not immediately cause fear. The Puerto Herrera, which starts 50 kilometers from the finish, seems to pose more danger in that respect: this climb is one of the first categories, 5.6 kilometers long, at 8.3 percent average.
We don't descend very far, so the last forty kilometers are mostly on rolling, treacherous roads. At 5.5 kilometers from the finish, we complete another hill of 2.3 kilometers at 5.1 percent before quickly descending to the finish line in the Mueztu National Park. We will probably finish this descent at high speed because it is not very technical. The last kilometer is then flat.
Climbs
81.5 km: Alto de Rivas del Tesero (11.1 km a 3.4%)
134.3 km: Puerto Herrera (5.6 km a 8.3%)
Timetable
Start: 1:05 p.m.
Finish: 5:19 p.m.
Weather stage 18 Vuelta a España 2024
Northern Spain has been a bit more unpredictable for several days now, and that will also be the case on Thursday. The temperature will be around 18 degrees Celsius, with a slight chance of rain and a breeze from the northeast.
Favorites stage 18 Vuelta a España 2024
We have already seen so many breakaway stages in this Vuelta a Espana, so we can now fill in the names for such stages. Thursday's day looks a lot like a classic transition stage, in which the borders must be able to handle the flat and punchy slopes in addition to a good climber's legs.
Among the men we still have in that genre in this Vuelta are Jhonatan Narváez (INEOS Grenadiers), Quinten Hermans (Alpecin-Deceuninck), and Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla): fast guys who can cling on to the Puerto Herrera and finish it excellently in the Ardennes-like finale. To a slightly lesser extent, we also place Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ) and Attila Valter (Visma | Lese a Bike) in that category.
For a sprinter such as Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and/or Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech), it usually seems too harsh for us, but it is possible that they can get something out of the early break. The same goes for fast rider types like Victor Campenaerts(Lotto-Dstny), Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek), and Stefan Küng of Groupama-FDJ, although they also have a chance on Sunday in the final time trial.
The other category is the climbers, who may take advantage of the Puerto Herrera. In that regard, Max Poole (dsm-firmenich PostNL), Pablo Castrillo (Equipo Kern Pharma), and Marc Soler (UAE-Team Emirates) we have already seen numerous times in this round, but Isaac del Toro and Brandon McNulty of Soler's team can also try it that way.
What about the Basques? If the GC riders want to set it on fire before a challenging weekend, it will have to come from Ion Izagirre (Cofidis), Oier Lazkano (Movistar), or Mikel Landa (T-Rex Quick-Step).
Favorites stage 18 Vuelta a España 2024, according to IDLProCycling.com
Top favorites:Jhonatan Narváez (INEOS Grenadiers) and Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla)
Outsiders: Quinten Hermans (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ), Max Poole (dsm-firmenich PostNL) and Marc Soler (UAE-Team Emirates)
Long shots: Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Attila Valter (Visma | Lease a Bike), Brandon McNulty (UAE-Team Emirates), Victor Campenaerts (Lotto-Dstny), Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ), Pablo Castrillo (Equipo Kern Pharma), Ion Izagirre (Cofidis) and Oier Lazkano (Movistar)
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Latest Comments
- Well explained, thanks for the clarity! Daniel DantasDanieldantas20-12-2024
- This is the kind of 'news' that belongs in a cheap tabloid. No matter how boring the offseason gets, nobody wants to read this.
santiagobenites19-12-2024 - I wish we could have seen him try. He'd absolutely get dropped before Pogi overtakes his domestiquesVeganpotter10-12-2024
- Talk is cheap! Next year barring crashes with a healthy team... all well be on track! Some need to talk to make a headline!mootman27-11-2024
- I do not see this event listed on HBO Max Sports Online? Can anyone confirm? Thanks!
MrYuck23-11-2024 - It seemed that he was focusing forward at the time of the crash, after seeing a quick video snippet. But one thing I think he should focus on more intently is breaking a bad habit he has, right now. And that is his constant looking over his shoulders. He does that so much, that I am very sure it is not good for him. Simply watch videos of the greats of CX and you will see very little of that constant looking over their shoulders. That is a behavior that betrays a bit of insecurity on his part. He shouldn't be so concerned, incessantly, about what is over his shoulder. He needn't worry they didn't all disappear. He neds to keep his focus more ahead of himself, and he needs to pay a bit more attention to himself, in a confident manner. It is very frustrating to watch, because it is apparent that he has a lot of potential, and is in much better shape thwan many of his competitors, but the mental game needs to be sharpened more, because that part of strategy plays a huge part in the final results
reemmo022-11-2024 - hahahaha love this shit! I didnt even watched the race, but reading all the gossip articles of how stupid this is!Zatoichi19-11-2024
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024