Filippo Ganna of Italy claimed victory in the shortened individual time trial on Stage 18 of the Vuelta a Espana, as Britain's Tom Pidcock held onto his third place in the overall standings. The stage, initially set for 27.2km, was reduced to 12.2km due to security concerns arising from pro-Palestinian protests during the three-week race.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG's Joao Almeida, who is second in the general classification, managed to cut 10 seconds off the lead of overall race leader Jonas Vingegaard. The route change and increased police presence were measures to ensure greater protection for the riders, with hundreds of protestors waving flags and whistling at riders from Israel-Premier Tech.

Ganna, a two-time world time trial champion, lived up to his favorite status, edging out Australian Jay Vine by a mere second in Valladolid. Reflecting on his performance, Ganna said, "Obviously, with the news of the change in the parcours last night it was a bit strange, but I tried to do the best today. The first part I didn't find the correct rhythm and in the final I tried to push over without thinking of the numbers. I am really happy for today."

While Ganna's fast finish secured his victory, the battle at the top of the general classification was intense. Almeida finished strongly, putting time into Visma-Lease A Bike's Vingegaard, and now sits 40 seconds behind the Dane with two competitive stages remaining.

Q36.5 Pro Cycling's Pidcock finished 29 seconds behind Ganna but extended his advantage over Australian Jai Hindley by three seconds in the battle for the final podium spot. With a relatively flat 161.9km run from Rueda to Guijuelo scheduled for Friday, all eyes are on Saturday's penultimate stage, which features a summit finish on the Bola del Mundo and promises to be a decisive day in the mountains.

Stage 18 Results:

1. Filippo Ganna (Ita/Ineos Grenadiers) 13mins 00secs
2. Jay Vine (Aus/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +1secs
3. Joao Almeida (Por/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +8secs
4. Bruno Armirail (Fra/Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) +10secs
5. Ivo Oliveira (Por/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +11secs

General Classification after Stage 18:

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Visma-Lease a Bike) 65hrs 7mins 13secs
2. Joao Almeida (Por/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +40secs
3. Tom Pidcock (GB/Q36.5 Pro Cycling) +2mins 39secs
4. Jai Hindley (Aus/Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) +3mins 18secs
5. Giulio Pellizzari (Ita/Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) +4mins 19secs