Urko Berrade Triumphs in Vuelta a Espana's Basque Hills

Urko Berrade claimed victory in the 18th stage of the Vuelta a Espana with a late breakaway in the Basque hills. Australian Ben O'Connor kept the leader's red jersey, maintaining a slim lead over Primoz Roglic. Spain's Mikel Landa dropped to 10th place, affecting his overall race ambitions.

Spain's Urko Berrade emerged victorious in the 18th stage of the Vuelta a Espana on Thursday, executing a victorious late breakaway in the Basque hills. Meanwhile, Australian Ben O'Connor retained the leader's red jersey.

The northern Spanish terrain tested the competitors, with a group of 13 riders navigating the final challenging ascent before the 40km sprint to the finish line near Maeztu. Most of the group stayed together until Berrade made his decisive move on the last climb, with under 5km remaining.

Berrade, representing Kern-Pharma and hailing from Pamplona, expressed immense joy in winning close to home. "It's a dream. The stage closer to home, with all my family watching me, friends, in the last stages of La Vuelta," he said. Switzerland's Mauro Schmid and Spain's Pau Miquel Delgado secured second and third place, respectively.

Ben O'Connor maintained his five-second overall lead over Slovenian Primoz Roglic. Both riders finished together in a large group, with O'Connor noting the stage's difficulty but playing down its potential impact on upcoming stages. "Probably not, because we raced every single day, and everyone is just tired. But somehow, I'm still managing to crack out some pretty good numbers, so I don't think it makes any difference now," O'Connor commented. "And I'm still in the lead! It's nice to have it for another day. I don't know if it's 13 or 14 days, a long time. I've loved it and I enjoyed it a lot."

Spain's Mikel Landa experienced a significant setback, dropping five spots to 10th place and now trailing by 5 minutes and 38 seconds, which negatively impacts his race prospects.

(With inputs from agencies.)