Primoz Roglic made a notable impact in stage 18 of the Vuelta a Espana, finishing fourth and reducing his overall deficit to Enric Mas by 33 seconds. With only three stages left, Mas maintains a strong lead, holding one hand on the trophy.

In a thrilling time trial in Jerez de la Frontera, none of the top 10 riders in the general classification managed to outpace Roglic, who is known for his time trial prowess. However, Mas delivered an impressive performance, showcasing his strength as he aims for his first Grand Tour victory.

The stage, starting from the bullring in El Puerto de Santa Maria, featured a flat 32.1km route, favoring time-trial specialists. Stefan Kung, a two-time European time trial champion, clinched the stage victory with a time of 35:22.82, finishing 18 seconds ahead of Roglic. This marked Kung's 24th professional time trial win and his second at the Vuelta.

Key results include:

• Callum Thornley (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) finished second, just three seconds behind Kung, marking his best result on his debut grand tour.
• Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) took third, finishing eight seconds off the lead.

In the general classification, Mas leads Roglic by 1’37” and Felix Gall by 3’01”. Richard Carapaz follows in fourth at 5’17”.

Oscar Onley solidified his position in the best young rider’s category, increasing his lead over Jakob Omrzel. Meanwhile, Clement Berthet made headlines by moving from ninth to seventh overall, while Mattias Skjelmose dropped to eighth.

The race continues on Friday with a challenging 210km mountain stage from Velez-Malaga to Penas Blancas, Estepona.