Brennan torn between team and country ahead of Cycling World Championships: 'It's a conflict of interest'

Matthew Brennan will be watching the World Cycling Championships in Canada wearing two jerseys at once. The British sprint specialist from Visma | Lease a Bike won’t be competing in Montréal himself, but he’ll see two favourites—his compatriot Tom Pidcock and teammate Wout van Aert—going head-to-head on September 20.

Brennan and Van Aert are having an extremely successful run in the Vuelta a España. The young Brit has already won five sprints in 17 days, and Van Aert has also won two. For Brennan, the Vuelta a España was a major goal; for Van Aert, it’s also a prelude to what’s to come in September.

With Tadej Pogačar not at the start in Montreal, the chances of many riders winning the rainbow jersey have increased. Van Aert is certainly among them, especially given the form he’s showing in the Vuelta. “He’s close to his 2022 form after months of building up,” team manager Maarten Wynants told Cyclingnews.

It was precisely a long training block that helped Van Aert return to a level that, according to Wynants, he hadn’t reached in a long time. “He always bounced back from serious injuries. First, you have to recover from them, then get back to your old level, but then you also have to build on that and layer it up.”

Now that Van Aert seems to be at the top of his game, Brennan is in for a tough time in September. He’ll be watching the World Championships, knowing that his fellow British riders will have to face his teammate, who is in top form.

"It's a conflict of interest, because I want my fellow countrymen to succeed, but if Wout wins, I'll be very happy for him too," said the sensation of this year's Vuelta a España.

“Paris-Roubaix was special, after all those years of having to make a comeback and after all those setbacks. If he were to win the rainbow jersey as well, that would be the icing on the cake.”

However, with Pidcock, Great Britain also has an outstanding contender for the world title. The Brit recently became the world mountain biking champion and, a week later, added a road race victory at the GP Industria & Artigianato.