If Yates (32) can do it, so can Brennan (19): British Visma rider beats home favorite in Tour of Norway

Much of the focus in recent days has naturally been on the final stages of the Giro d'Italia, but we have also seen some great stages in Norway. On day one, Norwegian sprinter Storm Ingebrigtsen won ahead of Brennan of Visma | Lease a Bike, who then took both the stage and the lead the following day.

In stage three, the British rider in Dutch service was again in contention for the stage win but had to settle for second place behind Maxim Van Gils of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. The Belgian had a nasty crash after crossing the finish line but was able to start the final stage.

The final stage is traditionally held in and around Stavanger, the hometown of Uno-X rider Alexander Kristoff. Once again, this season, the riders had to complete a lap that included the steep Grisabakken climb, although a bunch sprint was ultimately the most likely scenario.

Four men tried to prevent this by breaking away early: Toon Aerts (Lotto), Wessel Mouris (Unibet Tietema Rockets), Emil Toudal (ColoQuick), and Eirik Vang Aas (Coop-Repsol). In the large group, Uno-X controlled the race with Picnic PostNL and Israel-Premier Tech. Later, Visma | Lease a Bike also came to provide extra support.

That was necessary because Aerts, Mouris, and Toudal kept it up incredibly long. With barely two kilometers to go, they were finally caught by the peloton, where Brennan's men seemed to have the train well on track for the Brit.

The race leader had to come from far behind and seemed surprised by the UAE Emirates-XRG team, whose lead rider, Juan Sebastian Molano, broke his chain on a bump. Kristoff made a good move from the inside, but in the end, Brennan managed to pass him and score a double victory.

Brennan is now the rider with the most victories this year. For example, the Brit has already won nine times, which is more than Tadej Pogacar.