Matthew Brennan secures Visma | Lease a Bike's first win of 2026 after impressive (occasional) lead-out
CyclingSunday, 25 January 2026 at 09:21
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Follow us on GoogleMatthew Brennan has delivered Visma | Lease a Bike its first victory of 2026 in the final stage of the Tour Down Under. The Briton successfully completed a perfect lead-out from Anton Schiffer and Per Strand Hagenes in Stirling. Jay Vine, who crashed earlier due to an unexpected kangaroo, is the overall winner.
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After the shortened queen stage on Saturday, the peloton took to the roads again around Stirling on Sunday. With temperatures around 35 °C — slightly cooler than the previous day’s 40 °C heat — it was another hot day in South Australia.
Pascal Eenkhoorn made an early move for Soudal Quick-Step, immediately attacking. Sprinter Baptiste Veistroffer (Lotto-Intermarché) followed and eventually got clear, joined by Eenkhoorn’s teammate Fabio Van den Bossche and Bahrain Victorious’s Australian Robert Stannard.
Van den Bossche and Veistroffer couldn’t stay with Stannard, but their spot in the break was briefly taken by… Eenkhoorn, who rode back to the front with Luke Plapp. Meanwhile, in the peloton a bizarre moment unfolded when a kangaroo leapt into the group and caused a crash involving — among others — race leader Jay Vine.
Read on below the video!
The startled animal jumped away in panic, and a few riders abandoned — though it’s unclear whether those withdrawals were directly due to the incident. Once Vine had returned to the race, the focus shifted back to racing. The breakaway was gradually brought back, prompting some counter-attacks.
Javier Romo, Jefferson Alveiro Cepeda (Movistar), Gal Glivar (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) rode ahead, but they were eventually reeled in by work from Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Anton Schiffer (Visma) in the final kilometres.
After the German, Per Strand Hagenes took over the lead-out for Brennan, who reacted boldly to the launch from NSN rider Brady Gilmorde and expertly finished it off. Vine made it to the line without serious harm and crossed as the overall winner.
Video: Brennan sprints to stage win Down Under
Stage 5 result & final classification Tour Down Under 2026
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
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Tom van der Salm (27) comes from the charming town of Zeilberg (Deurne) in the Netherlands and has been working as editor-in-chief & journalist at IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, In de Leiderstrui, since 2019. He travels with the peloton from the Tour de France to the AlUla Tour and from the World Championships in Rwanda or Canada to the Zilvermeercross in Mol. In his spare time he enjoys playing football, mountain biking, running, walking with his Labrador/Stabyhoun, investing, holidays, (specialty) beers, reading, cooking and watching sports & documentaries!
Contact: [email protected]
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Latest Comments
- - Félicitations in advance si ça se concrétise. Line-up looks très britannique mais con ambición grande. Tour 2027 en Edimbourg sería épico si les invitan.gearguru3310-09-2026
- - Vamos Ethan! Breakaway king of this Vuelta and super combative. Today’s flat chrono is perfect terrain—just keep it clean through the Jerez crosswinds.breakawaybikerd10-09-2026
- - Bit cautious here. Hayter’s had stop-start seasons with crashes/illness and I still don’t know if he’s a GC week-long guy or a TT/sprint hybrid. Curious whether they build around him or Pidcock first.pedalpowe2910-09-2026
- - Hayter’s engine + Q5’s growing train could smash team TTs and medium sprint stages. Mauro Schmid + Bittner coming too? That’s a nasty lead-out combo if they gel.cyclechamp4510-09-2026
- - Can someone explain how ProTeams get Tour invites? If Q5 aren’t automatic, what results do they need—UCI points, one-day wins, or stage race podiums? Confused how that process works.samanthak10-09-2026
- - Love the Edinburgh Grand Départ angle. If ASO is on the fence, a British TT champ in form plus Pidcock makes that wildcard case much stronger. Q5 look less like a ProTeam and more like a budding GC/ Classics hybrid.jennifer1910-09-2026
- - Not sure the piece nails the contract timing. Says “for 2027” but what about 2025–26? Is he staying at Soudal through 2026 even after being told no extension? Sounds a bit contradictory tbh.robert6510-09-2026
- - Huge if true. Hayter to Q5 alongside Pidcock, Wright and Gloag gives them a legit British core. With Glasenberg’s backing they’re clearly aiming at TdF wildcardHope he nails today’s TT after missing the Bilbao opener by09s—that’s been haunting him all Vuelta.tourdeforce910-09-2026
- - Love the honesty about hesitating because of Remco’s messages. Ego flattered but head ruled. That’s grown-up stuff. Vamos Tim, forza UAE!andrewf10-09-2026
- - “Brand team” line threw me. Does he mean title sponsor obligations? Either way, UAE pays the wages—totally get it. Bon courage Tim, allez!tourdeforce910-09-2026
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