On Wednesday, the Vuelta spends a day in the Basque Country. The eighteenth stage between Vitoria-Gasteiz and Maeztu seems like a typical breakaway stage, featuring several characteristic but lesser-known Basque climbs in the final.

The start of the eighteenth stage is in the Basque capital, Vitoria-Gasteiz. The city also hosted a Tour de France stage in 2023 and annually hosts a stage of the Tour of the Basque Country. The Vuelta is no stranger to Vitoria-Gasteiz either; the peloton has passed through the Basque capital 39 times. The last visit was in 2022 when Primoz Roglic won an exciting stage in Laguardia.

Vitoria-Gasteiz’s popularity is well-deserved. The city is the greenest in Spain, filled with beautiful parks, and the peloton will get to enjoy these in the first kilometers of the stage.

The main obstacles in this Basque stage come after 77 kilometers and 130 kilometers, with the Alto de Rivas de Tereso (11.1 km at 3.4%) and the Puerto Herrera (5.5 km at 8.4%) on the agenda. Especially on the latter climb, significant action is likely to occur.

After the summit of the Puerto Herrera, there are still 45 kilometers to the finish without categorized climbs. However, the race is far from over. The terrain remains challenging; for instance, the road rises for about three kilometers at a 5% gradient, just 7.5 kilometers from the finish. Could this be where the stage is decided?