Vuelta hopefuls Brennan and Tulett deliver superb Visma 1-2 in Burgos opener

The opening stage of the Tour of Burgos was won by Matthew Brennan of Visma | Lease a Bike. The British rider proved the strongest on the uphill final kilometre towards Burgos Castle after a perfectly executed performance from his team.

The Vuelta a España is approaching, which means many riders expected to take part in the Spanish Grand Tour are sharpening their form around Burgos. The five-day stage race is one of the most important preparation events ahead of the final Grand Tour of the season.

That quality was reflected in the start list. Giulio Pellizzari of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, Oscar Onley of Netcompany INEOS, Felix Gall of Decathlon CMA CGM, Giulio Ciccone of Lidl-Trek, Ben Tulett and Brennan were among the notable riders beginning the race.

The Tour of Burgos route is packed with hills and mountains, although the opening stage was still relatively straightforward. The riders faced around 1,500 metres of climbing on the way to the finish in Burgos, with several awkward hills waiting in the finale.

A sprint remained possible, but it would take place on a demanding uphill final kilometre towards the castle in the Spanish city. The same finish featured on the opening day last year, when Ciccone and eventual overall winner Isaac del Toro of UAE Emirates-XRG both crashed.

Four riders formed the breakaway of the day. Josh Burnett of Burgos Burpellet BH, Javier Ibañez of Caja Rural–Seguros RGA, Valentin Ferron of Cofidis and Unai Aznar of Euskaltel–Euskadi rode clear together. The peloton never allowed them much room and gradually reduced their advantage. With 30 kilometres remaining, the gap had fallen to only one minute.

That was largely thanks to the work of experienced Dutchman Steven Kruijswijk, who spent almost the entire day riding at the front of the peloton for Visma | Lease a Bike to create an opportunity for Brennan. UAE Emirates-XRG and Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe also contributed to the chase, but it was primarily the yellow-and-black squad that kept the race under control.

Tim Rex took over from Kruijswijk inside the final ten kilometres, although the four leaders surprisingly maintained an advantage of around 30 seconds for a long time. The benefit of the peloton’s slipstream on the approach to the final kilometre helped bring the gap down, especially when the escapees began attacking one another. The stage therefore ended, as expected, with an uphill sprint.

Lidl-Trek took control on the climb, with Brennan positioned just behind. The Brit then moved onto the wheel of fellow favourite Laurence Pithie, who initially waited before committing to his sprint. Tulett eventually came forward to provide a lead-out for his compatriot, and Brennan finished the job with an impressively powerful acceleration. Tulett even held on to take second place, completing a commanding Visma | Lease a Bike one-two.

1. Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease Bike)
2. Ben Tulett (Visma | Lease Bike)
3. Laurence Pithie (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)