Brennan bosses the bunch as Visma lock down Vuelta stage 5

Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike) sprinted to victory on stage 5 of Vuelta a España in Roquetes ahead of Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) after navigating the threat of crosswinds and the Puerto de Paüls.

After stage 4’s blockbuster Andorran test, stage 5 presented an opportunity for the fast men to shine, though with plenty of obstacles on the menu, it would be far from straightforward.

While the Puerto de Paüls, situated inside the final 30km, didn’t see any attacks, some notable contenders for a sprint finish were distanced, including Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek).

However, Visma and Brennan remained firmly present and had the numbers lined up ready to spring into action for a sprint finish. 

Wout van Aert and Christophe Laporte (Visma | Lease a Bike) played the consummate teammate role, helping close down multiple attacks from Xabier Mikel Azparren (Pinarello-Q36.5) inside the final 20km. 

Shortly after, the likes of Jørgen Nordhagen and Ben Tulett (Visma | Lease a Bike) also contributed to the pace-setting to deter further attacks.

Inside the final 3km, multiple teams had swarmed towards the front alongside Visma as the fight for position was on.

Ultimately, Visma produced a flawless lead-out. Van Aert piloted Laporte and Brennan under the flamme rouge before the Frenchman delivered a final, devastating pull for Brennan, who duly delivered the goods once more.

It marks the second stage victory for Brennan in his Grand Tour debut, after his victory on stage 2 in Manosque. 

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) finished safely inside the peloton to maintain the red jersey and his 3:21 advantage over Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).

Giro d’Italia stage winner Fredrik Dversnes (Uno-X Mobility) ignited the action with a solo escape, and the Norwegian would eventually have company in the form of Walter Calzoni (Pinarello-Q36.5), Stefan Küng (Tudor), Mattia Gaffuri (Picnic PostNL), and Diego Uriarte (Equipo Kern Pharma).

However, the initial breakaway didn’t stand a chance as the pace in the peloton remained high due to the threat of crosswinds.

As the peloton crossed over the Río Ebro, splits started to form in the peloton, as Lidl-Trek drove the tempo at the head of the race. There were no GC contenders caught out, and the groups reunited a few kilometres later. 

With 86km to go, it was Van Aert’s and Visma’s turn, as the riders reached a cross tail-wind with 86km remaining. The Belgian powered at the front, and while the bunch strung out, there were ultimately no splits this time, though the tension still remained. 

Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step) then continued his active opening week by pushing on with 72km remaining, as the intermediate sprint loomed on the horizon. 

Hayter claimed the maximum 25 points at the intermediate sprint, as Van Aert picked up 20 from the peloton behind, before the Briton returned to the peloton. 

After a cagey spell, Andreas Kron (Uno-X Mobility) jumped from the peloton with 43km to go, though the Dane didn't tempt anyone else to join him. 

As Kron built his advantage above the 40 second mark, Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Premier Tech) was notably towards the back of the peloton on more than one occasion.

The peloton rocketed to the base of the Puerto de Paüls with 28.5km to go as Kron was caught. The lower slopes of the climb were very narrow, though the riders on the front of the peloton, including Pogačar and a number of the GC riders, were riding a conservative tempo. 

As Groves was dropped on the climb, Michael Gogl (Alpecin-Premier Tech) began to set a strong tempo on the front. 

Groves was not the only stage contender distanced, as Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Ben Turner (Netcompany-Ineos) were among the riders who began to fade, and Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility) later on.

Pavel Sivakov and the rest of the UAE team positioned themselves in front of their team leader, as they set a pace to deter any attacks on the climb. This worked as Sivakov crested the climb at the head of the peloton with 25km remaining, and the Emirati team continued to lead on the fast run-in to the finish in Roquetes.