Brennan rounds off five-star Vuelta debut with fourth in Granada and Kruijswijk tribute

Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike) looked back positively on shouldering much of the responsibility in the fight for victory on the final stage of the Vuelta a España in Granada.

The Briton found himself as part of the final twelve-rider selection after the front group had been whittled down over four ascents of the Alto de la Alhambra. 

He himself had briefly been detached from the head of the race on the final descent with 8km remaining, but fought his way back to the group over the top.

Being the fastest sprinter in the group, all eyes were on the 21-year-old to mark any attacks, and with 2km to go, a dangerous trio broke clear, leaving Brennan in a difficult situation. 

With the rest of the group looking at Brennan, the front trio would contest the stage honours, as Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) took the victory ahead of Alessandro Romele (XDS Astana) and Ramses Debruyne (Alpecin-Premier Tech).

The Visma rider fell just short of contesting for a sixth stage victory, winning the sprint for fourth, but admitted that he enjoyed the final stage nonetheless. 

“I love to race like that, you know, being up at the front end,” Brennan told Eurosport. “I think these days are kind of where I get the opportunity to show that, so I’m happy with my performance.”

“In the end, I just got back on over the top [of the Alto de la Alhambra]. Then it was obvious that they were really marking me and doing everything they could to not bring me to the finish. Which is understandable, you know, I’ve got five victories under the belt.”

“So yeah, they played it well. I couldn’t really do any more with the batteries I had left. Still, fourth place. Happy with that, 21 days in.”

As far as Grand Tour debuts go, it doesn’t get much better than winning five stages and playing an important role in two victories for Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike).

But rather than just reflect on his own success in his first three-week adventure, Brennan paid tribute to Steven Kruijswijk, who pinned on a number for the final time before retiring after a successful 17-year professional career. 

“Yeah, I mean, it’s been special. And also, you know, with Stevie [Kruijswijk] being here. He also said, after his super-long, successful career, that he's also not achieved so much success in a Grand Tour before,” Brennan said. “So for him to finish on such a high has been really nice, and to be a part of that has also been fantastic.”

“But you know, in all the years that he’s been riding, he’s also done a lot for myself and a lot of other guys, so he’s definitely going to be missed.”

“And I think a lot of guys in the peloton are also going to miss his super-uncomfortable pace in the peloton. But, you know, that’s a Stevie Kruijswijk thing to do, and it’s a shame that we won’t have him anymore. He’s done his years, and they’ve been great.”