A late attack landed a first Grand Tour stage win for Italian Francesco Gavazzi, who took the 2011 Tour of Spain's 18th stage earlier this afternoon.

Gavazzi outduelled Belgium's Kristof Vandewalle in the coastal resort of Noja for his fourth win of 2011. France's Alexandre Geniez was third while Spaniard Juan Jose Cobo retained his overall Vuelta a Espana lead.

On a 174-km trek through rugged terrain in the northern province of Cantabria, the main contenders eased back letting a 17 rider break go clear.

The 2004 Olympic silver medallist Sergio Paulinho tried a long distance attack that fizzled out three kilometres from the line, then when Vandewallle zipped away on a slight rise, Gavazzi was the quickest to follow.

"We were worried about Paulinho but fortunately he attacked alone and that didn't work out," Gavazzi told reporters after crossing the finish line.

"I wasn't too worried about Vandewalle in the sprint, I knew I was fastest."

"I've already had two big wins here in Spain, in the Tour of the Basque Country, it seems like this country brings me luck."

After finishing safely in the main pack in 18th place, Cobo remains in the overall lead for a fourth straight day, with his 13-second lead over Britain's Christopher Froome intact.

"My team could control the stage well," Cobo told reporters.

"It was pretty straightforward and I didn't feel too nervous. I'm far more worried about tomorrow's stage, it's got a difficult last section and I'm sure Froome will attack there."

Friday's stage from Noja to Bilbao will see the Vuelta a Espana make its first return to the Basque Country after a 33-year absence.

In its last visit in 1978, separatist protestors barricaded parts of the route and the last stage of the race was cancelled.

The 2011 Vuelta a Espana will conclude on September 11 in Madrid.

Watch Vuelta a Espana video highlights from all stages of the Vuelta a Espana 2011 in our video section.