Brennan after another stunning sprint: "Visma | Lease a Bike is very focused on making me the best rider I can be"
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Follow us on GoogleHe went for it a gazillion meters from the finish line, but Matthew Brennan proved once again that he is a very special rider, with a stage win on day 5 of the Tour of Poland. The 20-year-old Brit from Visma | Lease a Bike attacked very early and rode past the entire peloton, but then miraculously held off the charging Ben Turner (INEOS Grenadiers). Brennan laughed after the race, calling it a “stupid move” that led to victory.
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It wasn't the first time Brennan had done something crazy in his still young career. The powerful rider won his ninth victory of 2025 on Friday. That included a win on the cobbles of GP de Denain, two stage wins in Catalonia, one in Romandy, a nice victory in Rund um Köln, two stages and overall victory in the Tour of Norway, and now an ultra-long sprint victory in Poland. “To be honest, it was a bit of a stupid move,” he said candidly after the race.
Because Brennan admitted that he thought the finish was closer and so, in his own words, he had to ride the longest sprint of his career to win. And that after a stage of 206 kilometers and 3,000 meters of climbing. “I was surprised at the finish, there were still quite a lot of guys left. IIt was quite a tough day in my opinion, I could just be feeling rubbish but I remember looking back and thinking there were a lot more guys than I expected. Then I see a few sprinters popping up and I thought - ok this is interesting. So I kind of knew it'd be a more hectic final and I just surfed the wheels, and went a little too early for my liking.”
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Brennan went for it, even though he thought it was too far
When Brennan thundered past the already fast front of the peloton with an incredible burst of speed, he immediately opened up a big gap. However, there was still a long way to go. "But once you commit, you've just got to go all the way to the line. So there was no point in stopping or hesitating, you've just got to go with it. So I'm really happy I could get to the finish line first and finish it off."
It was also uphill, but Brennan's legs didn't let him down. “I've working on some 20 second stuff [efforts] and I knew I could keep going all the way to the line. When you're quite frustrated from a few things in the build-up in the last few days, that helps you push on a little bit, too, and I'm really happy to get this win today.”
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Brennan not yet ready for a Grand Tour with Visma | Lease a Bike
Despite nine victories, Visma | Lease a Bike is keeping the incredible Brennan out of the spotlight as much as possible. The Brit is being given time to develop, so he won't be riding the Vuelta a España anytime soon. “We've worked on quite a few things with the trainers, the staff and nutritionists and each year we're always holding back something so we can always develop everything from the ground up properly. There's no point in going to altitude looking for those one percents [for improvement] when you're missing a five per cent.” Brennan doesn't have to be able to do everything right away, as long as he can do it eventually.
“The team are really good at looking for those five percents right now and then hopefully on down the line we can find those one percents, which will be crucial for further on. It's all part of a development curve, and it's going really well at the moment, but that's with the support of the team being so focused on making me the best rider I can be," Brennan said, "as well as the best person off the bike.”
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Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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