Stefan Küng (Tudor) won Stage 18 of La Vuelta 26, his second Grand Tour victory following Madrid 2024, and his team's second after Marco Brenner's win at Sierra de la Pandera five days earlier.
"I'm just super happy to take the win here. I'm alone on the podium today but it's a victory of the whole team. Thanks to the guys behind me, working hard behind the scenes."
"I think [I build my victory] over the span of the 32 kilometres. You really had to be dialled in from the start. When it's such a fast time trial, you cannot have any costly mistakes. And when it's so fast, it's also hard to make a difference. I had a bit of a difficult moment after the second climb. Then I also misjudged a few corners there. But then I was able to get back into the rhythm. And so for me, that's where I made the difference."
"Yeah, I think it's huge [to have a secon victory for Tudor]. It was super good to see Marco [Brenner] winning [in Sierra de la Pandera]. We are roommates on this Vuelta, so I think it's a pretty good outcome for our room. We stand alone on the podium but I can assure you that there are so many people working hard behind the scenes. Especially also on the time trial side: we have an innovation team that is working hard together with our partners. And so I really, really want to thank all of them. And for sure also to all these people who got me back on track after my injury in February. I'd like to share this victory with many people."
