Brennan edges out rivals to strike again on Vuelta a Burgos stage 4

Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike) secured victory on stage four of the Vuelta a Burgos in Briviesca, claiming another sprint finish at the race after a fast and hot day through Castile and León.

Laurence Pithie (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) finished second on the stage, with David Gonzalez (Pinarello Q36.5) rounding out the podium following a blistering final.

In the general classification, Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) retained the overall lead, maintaining their advantage heading into the final stage of the race on Saturday.

The day's breakaway materialised when Javier Ibáñez (Caja Rural - Seguros RGA), Josh Burnett (Burgos Burpellet BH), and Nil Aguilera (Caja Rural - Seguros RGA) forged clear of the bunch, building an advantage over the rolling terrain.

The leaders crested the categorised ascents of Alto de Coculina and Alto La Varga as behind them, heavy-hitting teams including Visma | Lease a Bike, Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, and Cofidis shared pacing duties at the head of a stretched peloton.

With the gap steadily shrinking inside the final 20 kilometres, the bunch successfully reeled in the remaining escapees, including a late solo effort from Ibáñez, setting the stage for a high-speed charge toward Briviesca.

Matthew Brennan (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), the winner of stage 1 at the Alto del Castillo, headlined the pre-stage favourites for the sprint, with Laurence Pithie (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe), Emilien Jeannière (TotalEnergies) and Alberto Dainese (Soudal Quick-Step) among the other names in contention.

It was Brennan who took the stage honours after pipping the Kiwi, Laurence Pithie (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), in a photo finish, with David Gonzalez (Pinarello-Q36.5) finishing in third.