Vuelta a Espana 2015: Stage 18 Results, General Classification and Highlights

Nicolas Roche beat Haimar Zubeldia in a sprint to win Stage 18 of the 2015 Vuelta a Espana, with the duo battling it out for the stage win as the last surviving riders of an early break.

Alejandro Valverde won the sprint in the group of favourites, ensuring that Tom Dumoulin's lead over Fabio Aru in the general classification remains three seconds. Both Aru and Joaquim Rodriguez tried their luck at various points of Thursday's stage, but Dumoulin easily parried each attack and looks strong heading into the final two mountain stages.

Here are the results of Stage 18 and the updated standings:

Stage 18 looked to favour the adventurous riders going for the early break, with the final climb, the Puerto de la Quesera, presenting a prime opportunity to drop opponents before descending to the finish line.

As expected, a big group of riders broke away from the peloton early, including the likes of Roche and Jose Joaquin Rojas. Most of the top teams had at least one rider in the break, so the peloton decided against chasing and instead focused on the battle for the red jersey.

Of the favourites to win this year's Vuelta, Rodriguez's situation appeared most dire after his disappointing time trial on Wednesday. Velocast's Scott O'Raw had just one piece of advice for the Spaniard:

As the profile of Thursday's stage didn't look particularly daunting, no one expected Purito to actually try his luck before the final climb. But Rodriguez has never been a fan of conventional wisdom, and with over 30 kilometres left to race, he attacked.

O'Raw, who took a bit of heat from his followers for the suggestion to attack, couldn't help himself:

Aru and Dumoulin had no intention of letting Rodriguez build a lead and sent their team-mates out to chase, but in result, domestiques started dropping out of the peloton like flies. Aru was left with just Mikel Landa and Dario Cataldo, and the Italian likely would have preferred a bigger entourage this close to the finish line.

The attack also took a big bite of the leaders' advantage, which suddenly dropped to just over two minutes. Cyril Gautier took it as a sign to attack, quickly gaining 20 seconds on a select group of chasers behind him.

Gautier charged up the final climb of the day, and with the chasers struggling to get organised, the Frenchman managed to maintain his advantage early. 

In the background, Astana pushed the pace, and Aru shocked everyone by attacking from the base of the Puerto de la Quesera. Dumoulin immediately followed on his wheel, with Rodriguez, Valverde and Nairo Quintana close behind, but Aru kicked again, dropping everyone but Dumoulin. Rafal Majka brought everyone back, and after a third try, Aru gave up his early attempts to drop Dumoulin.

Cycling writer Mikkel Conde thought back to what the Dutchman said before the stage:

Valverde tried to take advantage of the situation, launching an attack of his own, but Aru immediately followed the Spaniard, showing his tremendous form. Esteban Chaves finally managed to create a small gap with Valverde, but all of the favourites stayed close together.

With the cameras pointed at the favourites, no one noticed that Roche had blown past Gautier and was now climbing on his own, still leading the likes of Valverde by more than a minute. 

His lead was dropping fast, however, and with Aru launching a fourth attack, the pace only increased. Dumoulin didn't give the Italian an inch, prompting this tweet from O'Raw:

Zubeldia closed the gap to Roche at the front and started working with the Team Sky man to preserve their 40-second lead over what remained of the early break, although they were more interested in the favourites charging up the climb.

At the top of the climb, their lead seemed safe, although Valverde and Quintana immediately started taking big risks in the descent.

Velocast's Cillian Kelly thought Roche should easily win for a simple reason:

Zubeldia has spent the majority of his career as a domestique, doing his best work in the high mountains, so fans aren't used to seeing him lead the race. Thursday's break was the second time in less than a week that he stole the spotlight, as he also rode solo for several kilometres during the final climb of Stage 15.

A stage win would have been a fantastic―and unlikely―way to close out a wonderful career, but it wasn't to be, as Roche easily won in a sprint. Valverde won the sprint for fourth, giving Aru no chance to close the gap to Dumoulin via bonus seconds.

The Dutchman did a fantastic job keeping the Italian at bay on Thursday, but Stage 18 was but a preview of what is still to come. Saturday's stage toward Cercedilla is where this year's Vuelta will truly be decided.

Dumoulin knows what lies ahead, but speaking to Vuelta Extra (h/t cycling commentator Jose Been), he's confident he can keep defending Aru's attacks:

Like Thursday's stage, Stage 19 looks like it could favour an early break, with none of the climbs looking like they could trouble the favourites for the general classification. Saturday's penultimate stage is another one in the high mountains, so look for the GC riders and their teams to save their energy on Friday.

Keep an eye on the final climb into the city of Avila, however. Aru sits just three seconds behind Dumoulin in the standings, so don't be shocked if the Italian tries to bridge the small gap at the end of Friday's stage. 

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