Lanterne Rouge Cycling Podcast Vuelta a España 2025 - Stage 18 (ITT)
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Sep 11, 2025 The latest discussion dives into the significant revision of Stage 18's time trial, slashing it from 27 kilometers to 12.2 kilometers. The hosts break down how this impacts rider performance, focusing on stars like Juan Ayuso and João Almeida. A riveting analysis of pacing strategies reveals dramatic shifts in performance. Plus, they celebrate a cyclist's remarkable comeback from a concussion and assess team dynamics throughout the competition, making predictions about future races and uncovering the rivalry between Macchio Ricchitello and Felix Gall.
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Shortened TT Changed Competitive Balance
- Shortening the TT from 27 km to 12.2 km materially changed who could contend and reduced potential time gaps.
- The shorter course capped larger exponential time losses that would favour pure TT specialists over GC climbers.
Tiny Margins Reshaped GC Slightly
- Final TT times were very tight, with Ganna winning by 0.9s and Jay Vine only 0.9s back.
- Almeida was the best GC rider, putting meaningful seconds into Vingegaard and others.
Ganna's Late-Rhythm Domination
- Filippo Ganna executed a slow start and an extremely powerful final segment to win the shortened TT.
- Benji highlights this as Ganna finding rhythm late and dominating the high-speed final section.