Visma rethink Vuelta plans for Van Aert and Brennan after major Stage 15 route cut

The late shortening of Stage 15 has given the Dutch team a very different race to work with, and potentially a different rider to play for. A route that initially looked especially favourable to Wout van Aert could now bring Matthew Brennan much more firmly into contention in Córdoba.

With temperatures in Andalusia again forecast to approach 40°C, Vuelta organisers activated their extreme weather protocol on Saturday evening and removed 79.5 kilometres from Stage 15.

The stage from Palma del Río to Córdoba has been reduced from 189.7 kilometres to just 110.2 kilometres. The Alto de Villaviciosa has disappeared from the route, although the Puerto de la Foresta and the category three Puerto de Atafi remain.

For Van Aert, the decision was a welcome one.

“We were immediately in favour of shortening the stage,” he told Sporza. “We felt the same about yesterday’s stage. They were stages with a loop that, in our opinion, could be removed relatively easily. We are happy they listened to that.”

The peloton has endured punishing conditions since the Vuelta reached Andalusia. Temperatures reached 38°C during Stage 12 to Calar Alto and climbed as high as 41°C on the road to Loja on Friday.

Van Aert believes cutting the amount of time spent racing in those conditions can make a significant difference.

“Riding for three hours in this heat is very different from riding for five,” he said. “Dehydration can always happen, but hopefully it will remain a little more manageable now.”

The consequences go beyond rider welfare.

Sunday’s original route had the makings of a long and attritional race, the sort of day on which Van Aert’s endurance could have become increasingly valuable as the kilometres accumulated.

The new version is a different proposition.

“With the original distance it would have been much more of an endurance race, almost impossible to control,” Van Aert said.

“Now it should be controllable, at least to some extent. It will be a different race. It is shorter and there is less climbing, so more riders should be able to handle it.”

That has forced Visma to revisit a plan that initially appeared to revolve around Van Aert.

“Our approach has changed because of the shortening of the stage,” he confirmed.

One obvious consequence is that Matthew Brennan becomes a more important part of the equation.

The reduced distance and lighter climbing load increase the chances of a larger group surviving deep into the finale. If Visma can control the stage, Brennan’s speed gives the team an obvious option in Córdoba, where the young Briton could be in contention for a fourth stage victory.