'We expect a big fight': Visma make sprint ambitions clear in hunt for sixth Vuelta win

It’s been a scintillating Vuelta a España so far for Visma | Lease a Bike, with the team winning five stages through Matthew Brennan and Wout van Aert. 

The Dutch team have shown no intent of stopping there, as they edge towards equalling their tally of six from the Giro d'Italia in May. The third week kicks off with a bunch sprint opportunity in La Rábida, and they have their sights set on victory.

The successes have been made even more impressive by the level of impact that Brennan and Van Aert have had in each other’s victories, and the duo should be in the mix once more on stage 16. 

The 181.1km stage to La Rábida features no categorised climbs and a flat finish, which suits both riders, though as Van Aert pointed out himself, Brennan has been the leader for the bunch sprints so far.

“It’s a sprint that suits Matthew [Brennan] well, so we’ll try to get a sprint finish and give him the opportunity,” Van Aert told TV2 Sport.

Brennan became the first rider since Tadej Pogačar at the Vuelta in 2019 to win three stages on his Grand Tour debut, and another would see him match the record of four most recently achieved by Fernando Gaviria at the Giro in 2017.

As has been the case in previous stages, Van Aert knows that it will be up to him and his teammates to try and control the race, as there will be plenty of teams looking to avoid coming to the finish with Brennan for a bunch sprint. 

“It's very difficult,” said Van Aert. “Especially when there aren't many sprinters in the race. Then there probably won't be many who will help us. So I expect a big fight.”

Eight teams have won a stage so far during the 2026 Vuelta, leaving 15 teams still hunting for success with just six opportunities remaining. Visma will also have to overcome the hurdle of losing Christophe Laporte, who played an important role in Brennan's stage wins. 

Despite the challenge that faces them, Visma have shown so far that they are up to the task, and the Dutch team have no reason to hide their ambitions of winning from a sprint. 

“We want a sprint. We are also sure that there are other teams that do not want a sprint. And then hopefully there are teams that still want a sprint at the end. So we hope so,” sports director Jesper Mørkøv told TV2 Sport.