Matthew Brennan knows who to thank after his second Vuelta a España stage win: 'To be honest, it went pretty smoothly'

"Textbook & pretty spot on"; Matthew Brennan knew who to thank after his second stage win in four (completed) stages of the Vuelta a España. The Brit from Visma | Lease a Bike, still only 20 years old, thanked his experienced lead-out riders Christophe Laporte and Wout van Aert after his formidable repeat performance in Spain.

Visma | Lease a Bike played the Brennan card from the start of the day and even had Laporte and Van Aert help control the race in the final stretch. “It’s fantastic. You could tell from the way the day went that everyone was giving it their all. I’m just incredibly grateful that I was able to finish it off again. And I think the guys are really happy, too.”

Everyone agreed afterward: it was a perfect lead-out by Visma | Lease a Bike. “To be honest, it went pretty smoothly. The two guys stayed at the front until the last few kilometers. Then Wout and Christophe took over—probably a couple of the best, or actually the very best riders in the world for this kind of work."

"They supported me all the way to the finish," Brennan recalled, with the two world-class skaters still ahead of him in the final 500 meters. “In the last turn, I lost the wheel a little; the road marking was a bit slippery. But luckily, I stayed upright. Christophe felt it a little too, but he handled it really well. I’m glad we were able to finish with our hands in the air.”

After five stages, Brennan has already won two. “I wouldn’t call myself a pure sprinter, but I can handle a hill. That works really well on this kind of terrain, especially with the support I get here. Guys like Stevie and Bruno (Kruijswijk and Armirail, ed.) are just so strong. When you have guys like that with you, it really gives you the confidence to go for even more.”

On Thursday, the Vuelta a España features a stage with gravel sections, during which the three riders mentioned—as well as Ben Tulett—will once again have a chance to shine for Visma | Lease a Bike.