Vuelta a Espana: The most important facts in brief
- Stage 18, Thursday, 5 September
- Vitoria-Gasteiz - Maeztu, 179.3 kilometres, low mountain range, 2780 vertical metres
- Official start: 1:20 pm
- Estimated arrival time: ~ 17:19 - 17:42
- TV broadcast: 14:30 - 18:00 Eurosport 1
- Live stream: Discovery Plus (subject to a charge)
- All stages of the Vuelta a Espana 2024 at a glance
- The start list
Vuelta 2024: 18th stage - route, elevation profile and map
After the finale of stage 17 in Santander, stage 18 of the Vuelta 2024 continues in the Basque capital of Vitoria-Gasteiz. The stage stretches over almost 180 kilometres on hilly terrain with two categorised climbs.
After the start in Vitoria-Gasteiz, the route first takes the peloton westwards, then continues south-eastwards out of the Basque Country into the La Rioja region. There, the Alto de Rivas de Tereso and the Puerto Herrera are category 2 and category 1 climbs. The Puerto Herrera is particularly tough: the 5.6 kilometre long climb is 8.3 per cent steep on average. After the detour, the route heads north-east back to the Basque Country, where the stage ends in Maeztu in the Izki National Park on slightly hilly terrain.
The stage finale starts downhill, where an intermediate sprint classification awaits around 22 kilometres before the finish. Then there are two more short, crisp ramps before the finish. The final metres are on flat terrain. The finish in Maeztu is 666 metres above sea level.
Sporting assessment of the 18th stage
Due to the many hills and the two difficult categorised climbs, the breakaways probably have a better chance of winning the stage than the sprinters. The sprinters already have three exhausting weeks in their legs and should have had their final chance the day before.
A powerful breakaway group should form on the 18th stage of the Vuelta, which should be difficult for the peloton to control due to the many hills and climbs. In the end, they should come out on top.
Schedule, TV coverage & live stream of the 18th stage of the Vuelta a Espana 2024
The neutral start will take place at 13:05. Around 15 minutes later, kilometre 0 should be reached. The finish is expected at 17:19 at an average speed of 45 km/h, 17:30 at 43 km/h and 17:42 at 41 km/h.
Eurosport will broadcast all stages of the Vuelta a Espana 2024. The 18th stage will be shown free-to-air on Eurosport 1 from 14:30.* Including post-event coverage, the broadcast will run until 18:00. A live stream on the internet is also available from the paid provider Discovery Plus.
* Transmission times are subject to change.
