Vuelta 2018 Stage 18: Breakaway boy Wallays pips peloton, Yates still in red

At 186.1 kilometres, the 18th stage of the Vuelta a España travels on the flat to the foothills of the Pyrenees. Although finishing in the same time, breakaway boys Jelle Wallays and Sven Erik Bystrøm stay ahead of the chasing peloton. Wallays wins the sprint, while Simon Yates retains the red jersey. (Slideshow route/profile)

Results 18th stage 2018 Vuelta a España

1. Jelle Wallays (bel)
2. Sven Erik Bystrøm (nor) s.t.
3. Peter Sagan (svk) s.t.
4. Elia Viviani (ita) s.t.
5. Iván García (spa) s.t.
6. Danny van Poppel (nld) s.t.
7. Ion Aberasturi (spa) s.t.
8. Tom Van Asbroeck (bel) s.t.
9. Giacomo Nizzolo (ita) s.t.
10. Ryan Gibbons (rsa) s.t.

GC after the 18th stage
1. Simon Yates (gbr)
2. Alejandro Valverde (spa) + 0.25
3. Enric Mas (spa) + 1.22
4. Miguel Ángel López (col) + 1.36
5. Steven Kruijswijk (nld) + 1.48
6. Nairo Quintana (col) + 2.11
7. Ion Izagirre (spa) + 4.09
8. Rigoberto Uran (col) + 4.36
9. Thibaut Pinot (fra) + 5.31
10. Tony Gallopin (fra) + 6.05

11. Emanuel Buchmann (ger) + 6.33
12. Wilco Kelderman (nld) + 9.15

Race report
At km 2 Jelle Wallays, Sven Erik Bystrøm and Jetse Bol open up a gap, which they widen to 3 minutes before Quick-Step (Viviani), Trek (Nizzolo) and BORA-hansgrohe (Sagan) start to set the pace in the peloton.

Bol is dropped with 7 kms to go when the gap has fallen to 40 seconds. It’s down to 15 seconds when the flamme rouge flies over the heads of the two remaining leaders. Wallays sits patiently on Bystrøm’s wheel, while the peloton is coming closer. On the finishing straight Peter Sagan launches his sprint from far-out in a desperate bid to close the gap, but it’s too late. A well-timed effort by Wallays sees the Belgian overhaul Bystrøm to claim the stage win.

In the 19th stage it’s back to the climbers and GC riders again with the first of two consecutive summit finishes in mountain state Andorra.