18-year-old wonder Matthew Brennan joins Visma | Lease a Bike from 2025 onwards

Wednesday, 22 May 2024 at 11:35

For some riders, it takes longer to integrate into the professional peloton coming out of the junior category, for others less so. Matthew Brennan belongs to the latter group. It also didn't take long for Visma | Lease a Bike they have a rough diamond in their hands, arriving with a World Tour contract from 2025 for the young Brit.

In Brennan's case it took exactly one race to begin winning at highly-conquested Croatian one-day races; Umag Trophy and Porec Trophy (1.2). This alone probably wouldn't have been enough to secure the young Brit a fast promotion to World Tour, however a third place at Circuit de Wallonie (1.1) in a top-level field was a huge statement by Brennan.

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At that point a deal was probably already in the making, seeing the sprinting qualities of the junior track World champion in Madison and Individual Pursuit (where he set a new world record for the category). Meanwhile Brennan was taking on the mountainous Orlen Nations GP (2.NCup) where he showed his strength also in unfavorable terrain, indicating a potential for the classics.

"I'm obviously super happy about this," Brennan describes in a press release. "Signing a first pro contract is a big deal. It's something you dream of, of course, when you come in as an U23 rider with a team like Team Visma | Lease a Bike. But when that offer comes, and so quickly too, it's really cool. I'm looking forward to racing the races I used to watch on TV myself now."

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"Apart from his physical qualities - which we are extremely impressed by - we believe that Matthew is a perfect fit for us in all other aspects," said head of development Robbert de Groot. "For his age, he's quite mature. Matthew shows leadership qualities, communicates well, integrates well with the group, and is very eager to learn. He excels in all areas and because of that overall package, he's an incredibly interesting athlete. We saw that quickly, which is why we quickly sat down with him to extend his contract."

Brennan will make the transition to the WorldTour team in 2025, and his training and racing calendar will gradually be modified. "Like all riders on our Development Team, Matthew has access to all the facilities that the WorldTour riders have," says Zeeman. "We have a long-term plan for him and will gradually increase his program. He will still race with the Development Team next year as well."

"The next three years are crucial for my further development," Brennan acknowledges. "As it was this year, my development should be the priority. Results are less important. I don't want to put pressure on myself or rush things. Here, I can learn from the best riders and specialists in the world. That's super interesting to me, and I'm open to anyone on the team who can teach me something. I'm really looking forward to the continuation of that learning process."