Wout van Aert secures fifth in La Vuelta Stage 18 time trial

Wout van Aert finished fifth in the 32.1 km individual time trial during Stage 18 of La Vuelta 2026. Despite an aggressive start that saw him close in on the early leader, Van Aert faded toward Jerez de la Frontera, finishing 19 seconds behind stage winner Stefan Küng.

With this result, Van Aert holds a significant lead in the points classification, maintaining a 43-point advantage over teammate Matthew Brennan. Van Aert expressed his intention to continue competing for stage wins in the final days of the race while securing the green jersey.

Separately, Van Aert addressed potential tensions regarding the Belgian national selection for the upcoming World Championships in Montréal. Despite the presence of two leaders, Wout van Aert and Remco Evenepoel, Van Aert stated he expects no division within the team, noting that personal or team interests should be set aside for the national jersey.