'I wouldn't say I'm a sprinter'- Brennan takes second Vuelta stage in style

Matthew Brennan (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) won stage 5 of the Vuelta a España in Roquetes, his second victory of a race he is riding as his first Grand Tour, and credited a lead-out train that included Van Aert and Laporte.

The 173.4-kilometre stage from Falset took in the category three Alto de Paüls, four kilometres at 7.1 percent, topping out with more than 20 kilometres left. Brennan came through the final corner slightly out of position before finishing it off.

"Second one in the bag, first Grand Tour. You can see throughout the day everyone just went full, so I'm just very thankful to finish it off again," Brennan said. "I think the boys are also quite relieved."

Asked whether having lead-out men of that calibre amounted to a dream job, he was matter-of-fact about it. "It's not a bad one. It's better than a normal day job."

Van Aert said before the race that he would rather lead Brennan out on the flatter days than try to beat him, and that is how Visma have raced the opening week.

"It was pretty spot-on, to be fair. We had the two boys pulling on the front until the final few km and then Wout and Christophe, probably some of the best guys you can have in the world for this type of thing," he said. "They were supporting me all the way into the final."

The finish was slightly sketchy. "Last corner, I lost my wheel a bit. The paint was a little bit slippery, but thankfully I stayed safe, and Christophe also felt that a little bit and managed it really well. So glad we could finish with the arms in the air."

Brennan arrived at this Vuelta having won two stages at the Vuelta a Burgos earlier in August, and took his first Grand Tour stage on stage 2 in Manosque, coming from behind after Van Aert's attack on the climb to the line. He holds the white jersey as leader of the young rider classification.

This was billed as a Vuelta with limited opportunities for the fast men, which makes two wins in five days more than he came expecting. He does not accept the sprinter label anyway.

"I wouldn't say I'm a sprinter, but I can climb a little bit, so on this type of terrain it works really nicely," he said.

The rest of the credit went to the riders who did the work before the last two.

"Especially with the support I have here, even Stevie and Bruno, these guys were just so strong. When you've got these guys with you, it really gives you the confidence to go and try and achieve more."