From Vuelta sprints to the Tour of Flanders; Visma team manager expects big things of Matt Brennan: 'It's the next step'

Visma | Lease a Bike claimed its second stage victory in the Vuelta a España on Wednesday. The Dutch team saw Matthew Brennan successfully finish the setup work laid out by Wout van Aert and Christophe Laporte. Team manager Maarten Wynants assured Sporza that those riders will also get their chance.

"It was textbook," Wynants rightly concluded after Stage 5. "The best victories are the ones where everyone gets to contribute, and that was certainly the case here. With a lead-out like that, it's also a pleasure to watch Matthew in action."

"He's very calm and, for a young guy, very mature. But deep down, he's still a young man in his early twenties who really knows how to have a good time," said Wynants, who doesn't want to get ahead of himself just yet. “Only time will tell where his ceiling lies. We’re letting him discover how far he can go. He’s in the process of discovering his limits.”

"A Tour of Flanders could be within his reach down the road. He won Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne this year. That's not quite the same as the Tour of Flanders, but it's the next step."

Van Aert accepted his role. “Wout countered a few attacks in the final stretch and was able to take the sting out of them. We had already decided a month ago to go for Matthew in this stage. Or at least more or less a month ago. We simply made clear agreements in advance about who would get which opportunities.”

"The Vuelta is still long enough. There will be more opportunities for Wout," said Wynants, a fellow native of Van Aert's region. "We're going for the best chances at victories. Sunday was the ideal scenario for both of them, and they were both able to take their chances. Wednesday was a flat sprint, so it was clear-cut.”