'It's massive' - Brennan emulates Pogacar with treble in debut Grand Tour

Matthew Brennan was the favourite to win stage 11 of the Vuelta a España in Lorca and that logic was respected in full. After a pitch-perfect lead-out from his Visma | Lease a Bike teammate Wout van Aert, the Briton produced a searing sprint to beat Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) to the line and complete a hat-trick of victories on this Vuelta.

Van Aert managed the rare tasking of multi-tasking in the sprint, leading out Brennan for the stage win while continuing his effort to claim fifth on the stage and buttress his lead in the points classification.

“We took the initiative today again, and the boys they pulled as hard as they could,” Brennan said afterwards. “Even after the tough day in the legs yesterday, we still went full gas. Coming into the final, we really held our own place and knew that we were all strong enough to kind of get to where we want to be, and then the boys did a fantastic job within that last 10k to really keep us in the right place, in the right position, out of trouble. And we crossed the line first, so we’re super happy.”

This was Brennan’s tenth win of the season and his 22nd since turning professional at the beginning of 2025. But perhaps the most significant statistic is that he has become the first rider to win three stages in his debut Grand Tour since Tadej Pogacar achieved the feat at the 2019 Vuelta.”

“Yeah, it’s massive,” said Brennan, who at 21 is also the fourth-youngest man in history to win three stages in a single Grand Tour.

“I mean, I’m with a team full of massive champions, you know. You’ve got guys who have been on podiums in Grand Tours and won them as well. And you know, you’ve also got guys who’ve won big classics and some huge races and the fact that they go for me each time is an amazing opportunity. I’m really thankful that they go full gas for me.”

Brennan’s victory also lifts him to second place in the points classification behind Van Aert, albeit some 57 points down on his teammate. Van Aert had been vying with Pogacar for the green jersey, but his abandon on Saturday means that the Belgian is now the overwhelming favourite to claim the prize. Van Aert has unfinished business with the Vuelta points classification, having crashed out while wearing the green jersey in 2024.