Today, no climbs but an equally important judge at the Vuelta España: the time trial. Stage number 18 is the only individual time trial of the 80th edition of the Spanish race.

to follow the entire stage live starting at 2:30 PM CLICK HERE

Start and finish are in Valladolid, the kilometers to be covered were supposed to be 27.2, but last night the organizers, in concert with government authorities and the jury, decided on a shortening: the stage will be only 12.2 km.

The reason? Always the same: announced disruptions by protesters. The goal, by reducing the route, is to tighten surveillance and allow the race to proceed regularly, even if in a time trial that has become less than half its original length, there is very little that is regular.

On paper, we expect at the top of the finish order athletes like Ganna, Küng, Hoole, Cavagna and Sobrero, as well as the high-ranking riders, particularly Vingegaard and Almeida who will give life to a race within the race.