Time trial king Küng, Cancellara, and the magical Vuelta room with Marco Brenner

Stefan Küng was the top favorite, but that doesn’t mean it was a fore gone conclusion. The Swiss rider from Tudor was the fastest in the individual time trial on Stage 18 of the Vuelta a España. After a time trial victory in the Tour of Poland, Küng is once again proving in this race that he’s fully back in action following a broken thigh bone.

Tudor has already won a stage in this Vuelta a España with Marco Brenner (Stage 14), who also won the Tour of Poland. The Swiss cycling team was counting on the duo, who are even sharing a room during this Vuelta. “This second victory for the team is huge. It was great to see Marco win. We can say that the outcome is good for our room,” Küng laughed.

In the flash interview, the veteran speed skater went on to say: “I’m just so happy to win here. I’m the only one on the podium today, but this is a victory for the whole team. I have to thank all the guys behind the scenes.”

The fact that, over a distance of more than 32 kilometers, it ultimately came down to seconds made it even sweeter for Küng. He held off Callum Thornley of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe by 2 seconds, meaning the time trial was decided by the smallest of margins. “You really had to go for it right from the start; I truly won this time trial over 32 kilometers.”

Küng thanked everyone at Tudor for good reason, because, according to him, the 2-second time gain over Thornley can largely be attributed to the time invested in the time-trial bike. “We have an innovative team that has worked hard alongside our partners.”

That paid off on Thursday. “It was such a fast time trial that you couldn’t afford to make any mistakes. It’s hard to make a difference, and I had a tough moment after the second climb. I also misjudged a few turns, but I was able to get back into my rhythm. That’s where I made the difference.”

However, to say that the injury woes following his crash in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in February are now behind him would be an understatement. “I want to thank everyone who helped me get back on track after my injury. I want to share this victory with so many people.”

Tudor team manager Fabian Cancellara was, of course, over the moon. Two stage wins in the Vuelta a España – the Swiss rider would have signed up for that in a heartbeat. ‘Today was a great performance by the whole team. Since his injury in February, the plan had been to focus on the time trials as part of his comeback – in Poland and in the Vuelta.’

A 100 per cent record, if we disregard the explosive opening time trial in Monaco for a moment. ‘There were three challenges and all three were executed to perfection. A time trial may seem like an individual effort, but there is so much more to a result like this. This is truly a team achievement.’

'This Vuelta is a huge boost for us and gives us the motivation for the rest of the season. We’re proud of what we’ve achieved and are hungry for more.'