BRENNAN SPRINT DOMINANCE CONTINUES WITH FOURTH WIN
Britain’s Matthew Brennan soared to a fourth stage win on his debut Vuelta – and then spoke of his determination to take the yellow jersey on the opening stage of next year’s Tour de France for Visma-Lease a Bike.
Brennan, 21, benefited from another textbook lead-out from his Belgian team-mate Wout van Aert, the green jersey, to win Stage 16 in La Rabida comfortably ahead of France’s Bryan Coquard of Cofidis. Belgians Vito Braet (Lotto Intermarche) and Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) completed the top five ahead of Denmark’s Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility).
Although deprived of the experience veteran Christophe Laporte, Visma-Lease a Bike used their remaining six riders to control the 181km stage through Andalucia before securing a sixth win of the race – and a fourth for their British fastman.
Van Aert’s sixth place capped a flawless day for Visma, with the Belgian extending his vice-like grip on the green jersey just five days from the finish in Granada.
Brennan became the first rider since Fernando Gaviria in the 2017 Giro d’Italia to win four stages in his maiden Grand Tour. The Colombian sprinter went on to take the maillot jaune in the opening stage of the following year’s Tour de France – a feat Brennan would now like to emulate, with the Tour starting with three days on home soil.
Explained: How Brennan bagged his fourth Vuelta victory
Video credit: TNT Sports
”With the Tour starting in the UK next year – I already said it to the team, two years ago when I heard about the start, that I would really like to be there [in Edinburgh],” said Brennan. ”With Wout and Christophe – if we do the same thing as we have done here, we can replicate it into a yellow jersey on day one.”
On paper, the first stage after Monday’s rest day was always one for the sprinters – although with the best part of 2,000 metres of climbing, despite no classified climbs on the profile, it was hardly the ”flat” stage billed by the organisers.
An early break of five riders was instigated by Kevin Vermaeke (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), one of the race’s most combative riders and a veteran of at least four breakaways so far during a busy opening fortnight.
The American was joined by France’s Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ United), Denmark’s Simon Dalby (Uno-X Mobility), German veteran Jasha Sutterlin (Jayco-AlUla) and the Swiss debutant Roland Thalmann (Tudor Pro Cycling) in a five-man move whose lead was kept under the three-minute mark by the vigilant pacing carried out by Visma-Lease a Bike on the front of the pack.
Despite one momentary split in the peloton, the anticipated crosswinds never materialised, resulting in quite a routine ride through regions devastated by recent forest fires in the south of Spain.
A crash involving UAE’s Ivo Oliveira as the peloton passed through a narrow pinch-point inside the final 30km caused another split, and the Danish champion Cort was forced to battle back into contention ahead of the finale.
The Cofidis, Red Bull and Soudal Quick-Step teams of Coquard, Meeus and Italy’s Alberto Dainese were all active on the front of the peloton entering the final five kilometres before the returning Cort’s Uno-X took over the reins ahead of the flamme rouge.
But Visma timed their climax to perfection, Van Aert pulling Brennan through the bodies and onto the front of the peloton through the final bend before launching the Briton with aplomb on the home straight.
Brennan did not even need to turn around, leading the sprint all the way to the line to take the 23rd win of his short but illustrious career – at an age where Mark Cavendish had still not stood atop the podium of a professional race. Indeed, even Tadej Pogacar had only taken eight wins at the same age as Brennan – underlining once again just how huge a career the British rider may go on to forge.
Brennan can be ‘real contender’ at Tour de France, says Blythe
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Surely, even with Jonas Vingegaard’s GC ambitions to consider, Visma-Lease a Bike can find a place for Brennan in their team next July – especially in a Tour that starts in Britain. If Brennan keeps on winning, they might have no choice.
A fifth win at the Vuelta could come as soon as Wednesday, with the race continuing with another stage devoid of any catagorised climbs. If the 186km Stage 17 from Dos Hermanas to Sevilla has bunch sprint written all over it, every team that is not harbouring any GC ambitions will do their best to ensure that a breakaway goes the distance – because failing that, it’s hard to envisage any other outcome than another Brennan victory.
Spain’s Enric Mas (Movistar) retained the red jersey on Tuesday after emerging unscathed with his lead of 2’06” over Austria’s Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) intact.