Matthew Brennan Vuelta momentum kept building in Lorca, where the British sprinter won stage 11 of the Vuelta a EspaƱa. Visma | Lease a Bike delivered him into position through Wout van Aert, and Brennan finished the job. He beat Bryan Coquard of Cofidis to claim his third stage victory of the race.
The 21-year-old started the day as the clear favourite for the sprint finish. He came through that pressure with another sharp acceleration in the final metres. Brennan crossed the line first for his 22nd professional victory. That sprint also gave him his tenth win of the season, continuing a remarkable first year as a professional.
Matthew Brennan Vuelta milestone
Van Aert shaped the final before still sprinting to fifth himself. His work placed Brennan exactly where Visma | Lease a Bike wanted him. The Belgian then carried his own effort to the line. He also strengthened his control of the points classification with another high finish.
Visma | Lease a Bike again took responsibility during the stage. Brennan said his teammates worked hard despite the previous dayās effort in their legs. The team committed to the chase and then protected its sprinter inside the final 10 kilometres.
Brennan credited the lead-out for keeping him away from trouble. He said the team held its place and trusted its strength in the finale. He described the opportunity as āmassiveā after another win delivered by experienced teammates. The result confirmed Brennan as one of the raceās dominant finishers so far.
Brennan matches a Pogacar debut mark
The Lorca victory also linked Brennan to one of Tadej Pogacarās early Grand Tour achievements. Brennan became the first rider to win three stages in his debut Grand Tour since 2019. Tadej Pogacar last did that at the 2019 Vuelta. Brennan also became the fourth-youngest man in history to win three stages in one Grand Tour.
Those numbers underline the scale of his breakthrough at Grand Tour level. Brennan only turned professional at the beginning of 2025. He has already reached 22 victories, with 10 coming this season. At the Vuelta, he has converted team support into three sprint wins from the first 11 stages.
Brennanās latest win moved him into second place in the points classification. He remains 57 points behind teammate Van Aert. Van Aert had been contesting that competition with Pogacar before Pogacar abandoned on Saturday. That leaves Van Aert as the overwhelming favourite to win the jersey.
The points competition also carries extra meaning for Van Aert. He crashed out of the 2024 Vuelta while wearing the green jersey. This time, he has combined lead-out duties with his own classification ambitions. In Lorca, that balance helped Brennan win again while Van Aert extended his advantage.
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