Magnificent Van Aert takes all the points and launches Brennan for his Vuelta hat trick
CyclingWednesday, 02 September 2026 at 17:33
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Follow us on GoogleMatthew Brennan has claimed his third stage victory in the Vuelta a España. The Briton was perfectly launched by Wout van Aert, who picked up points for the points and mountain classifications along the way. After dropping Brennan off, he then sprinted on for fifth place and even more points for the green jersey.
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The eleventh stage of the Vuelta a España didn’t get underway until late Wednesday afternoon in Cartagena, which is located just inland. We started there on an uphill stretch with two obstacles, followed by a long bend along the coast. Warnings had already been issued about the wind, and then the Alto del Morion de Totana (7.8 kilometers at a 4.5 percent gradient) presented a climbing challenge 40 kilometers from the finish.
A good stage for the breakaway riders? Four big names thought so. Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step), Domen Novak (UAE Emirates XRG), Alessandro Covi (Jayco AlUla), and Sinuhé Fernandez (Burgos Burpellet BH) also seemed to be given a free pass for a brief moment, but that came to a halt when their lead just edged past one minute.
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Widar and Nys briefly in the second breakaway at La Vuelta
With 90 kilometers to go, the wind picked up, and several teams wanted to try to form echelons. They succeeded, as a large group of riders at the back of the peloton was blown off the pace and quickly found themselves trailing by 40 seconds. Jarno Widar (Lotto-Intermarché) and Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek) were among them.
They had to put in a bit of effort, but since Visma | Lease a Bike and Cofidis wanted to take control—just as they had in Stage 10—the leading echelon settled down. The peloton closed the gap again, before Hayter immediately started pushing hard once more. The Brit was now joined only by Larry Warbasse of Tudor, and the maximum lead—at half a minute—was even more meager than in the opening hour.
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Points for Hayter and Van Aert; Vuelta climb adds to the excitement
Hayter, who even sniped at a cameraman that the motorcycles were once again riding far too close to the peloton, took the maximum points in the bunch sprint, and then it was just a matter of waiting for the pack to merge as they approached the day’s only categorized climb. On this Alto de Aledo, riders could still prevent a potential sprint.
Not much happened on the climb, unless you count the two breakaway riders being caught. Pinarello Q36.5 did try to keep the pace high for their fast man, Xabier Azparren, which helped Visma | Lease a Bike. Wout van Aert, who had already picked up points at the intermediate sprint, took the maximum mountain points and thus revealed a little more of his ambitions.
Visma | Lease a Bike and Uno-X Mobility are chasing a sprint victory
After Van Aert’s attack, it was clear that a sprint was inevitable. At speeds of over 55 kilometres per hour, Uno-X Mobility placed a rider at the front of the sprint train, with Visma | Lease a Bike and the entire team working for Brennan right behind them. As we entered the final 10 kilometres, several teams were positioning their trains at the front.
This was hardly surprising, as we’d already seen several surprise winners in this Vuelta. Could Visma | Lease a Bike be caught off guard? In the technical streets of Lorca, the Dutch team took the initiative, but 2.5 kilometres from the finish, they were pushed back somewhat. Van Aert did a masterful job of bringing Brennan back to the front, and he was the first through the final U-bend.
The Visma team didn’t let that lead slip. Van Aert set Brennan alight and the Brit stormed to his third stage win of this race. Van Aert sprinted on to fifth place, picking up points for the green jersey. In this way, he played a starring role in two classifications and in the bunch sprint.
Result Stage 11 of the 2026 Vuelta a España
1. Matthew Brennan
2. Bryan Coquard
3. Jordi Meeus
4. Magnus Cort
5. Wout van Aert
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David Bavin-HobbsChief Editor
David has been working in the sports & cycling industry for 16 years. Covering racing, business and technology, he has worked in communications for cycling companies, teams, and as a journalist. His proudest achievement is winning the first bike race he ever entered. He hasn't won a race since.
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Latest Comments
- - Appreciate the candor. Axeon to HPH to Epafel gives him a rare view across tiers. He’s not just taking shots at UAE/INEOS/Visma; he’s saying everyone gossips at dinner and no one trusts anyone. Sadly, very cycling.michael5402-09-2026
- - The Neves shout feels damning. A four-year EPO/blood ban and straight back into a top GC at Volta… eso es mala señal, no?lindae02-09-2026
- - Sorry, I’m confused—what is watts per kilogram exactly? Is4 a lot for pros, or just normal on climbs?bikebuffj02-09-2026
- - “If it’s not banned yet, is it doping?” That’s a slippery slope, mate. Ethically it still stinks, even if technically legal. Rules lag science.cadencekingm02-09-2026
- - Short but true: WT isn’t clean-clean, but it’s cleaner. Keegan nails the nuance.robert6502-09-2026
- - This paints Portugal as the “Wild West,” but is there data on ADAMS whereabouts failures or OOC tests there vs. WT nations? Would love numbers, not just stories.velodromevirtuoso102-09-2026
- - Keegan’s point re: consistency is key. Pog and Vingo put out year‑round numbers and back it up with testing density. The outlier spikes around the Volta always looked… odd. Good on him for saying it out loud.jeremya02-09-2026
- - If corticosteroids are allowed with a TUE, how do testers distinguish between genuine medical needs and abuse? Who approves those TUEs, UCI or national feds?raceready702-09-2026
- - Not sure about labelling António Carvalho a “legendary doper” so bluntly—doesn’t that cross into defamation territory if there’s no positive test? The article should be careful with that.gearguru3302-09-2026
- - Fascinating watch. Keegan’s Portugal anecdotes line up with the long shadow Volta a Portugal has had since W52/FC Porto and co. The “rapid weight loss + performance spikes” heuristic is exactly what a lot of insiders whisper about. Grim, but believable.tourdeforce902-09-2026
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