The 2018 Vuelta a España was a three-week Grand Tour cycling stage race that took place in Spain between 25 August and 16 September 2018. The race was the 73rd edition of the Vuelta a España and was the final Grand Tour of the 2018 cycling season. The race started in Málaga and finished in Madrid. The race was won by British rider Simon Yates from the team . Teams The starting teams include: Pre-race favourites Four former winners started the race; Nairo Quintana, Alejandro Valverde (both from ), Vincenzo Nibali () and Fabio Aru (). The other riders considered contenders for the general classification were Richie Porte (), Simon Yates (), Miguel Ángel López (), Michał Kwiatkowski (), Wilco Kelderman (), Steven Kruijswijk (), Thibaut Pinot () and Rigoberto Urán (). Route and stages Classification leadership The Vuelta a España had four individual classifications, for which jerseys were awarded daily to the leading rider, as well as a team competition. The primary classification was the general classification, which was calculated by adding each rider's finishing times on each stage. Time bonuses were awarded at the end of every stage apart from the two individual time trials. The rider with the lowest cumulative time was the leader of the general classification, and wears the red jersey. The leader of the general classification at the end of the race was considered the overall winner of the Vuelta a España. The second classification was the points classification. Riders received points for finishing among the highest placed in a stage finish, or in intermediate sprints during the stage. The points available for each stage finish were determined by the stage's type. The leader was identified by a green jersey. The next classification was the mountains classification. Points were awarded to the riders that reached the summit of the most difficult climbs first. The climbs were categorized, in order of increasing difficulty, third-, second-, and first- and special-category. The leader wore a white jersey with blue polka dots. The final of the individual classifications was the combination classification. A rider's ranking in the combination classification was determined by tallying up his positions in the general, points, and mountains classifications. The leader wore a white jersey. If no rider was classified in all three classifications, riders classified in two would have been considered, and if that was tied the general classification will decide the winner.