"I’m not like Tadej Pogacar, who gets new glasses every day" - Wout Van Aert jokes on bad luck; Brennan thanks Visma's collective power
CyclingWednesday, 26 August 2026 at 18:37
Stage 5 of the Vuelta a España was a day where Team Visma | Lease a Bike had the weapons to strike big, and they have. Matthew Brennan won his second stage of the race; whilst Wout Van Aert praised his teammates and even lost his sunglasses during the second sprint finish of the race.
Visma's masterclass brings Brennan another win
The Dutch team were active early in the day, often trying to form echelons in the sections exposed to crosswinds. That didn't turn out to be effective, but later in the day they saw Mads Pedersen get dropped after sacrificing himself for Mattias Skjelmose on the flat roads.
The task was made easier, but still had to be completed. Visma were in front during the key moments of the race, and in the finale counter-attacked the moves on the approach to Roquetes.
In the run-up to the line, there was no rival leadout for Visma, who had stage 2 winner Matthew Brennan to launch. It was a matter of execution, and the Briton did so to perfection.
“This is truly amazing. I already had a stage win under my belt and now I’ve just won my second stage," Brennan said in a post-race interview. "The team went all out today and I am incredibly grateful to them. It’s great that I can finish it off.”
Whilst he remains off the chase for intermediate sprint points - the team favours Van Aert's chances, Brennan has moved up to second behind Tadej Pogacar in the classification. The 21-year old praised his teammates who allowed him to stay in the wheel all the way into the final sprint.
“The sprint preparation was actually textbook. We kept the pace high until the final kilometers and then it was up to Wout and Christophe to pilot me. They are simply the best riders in this line of work. If you can also count on incredibly strong riders like Bruno Armirail along the way, that only gives you extra confidence.”
A leadout from Christophe Laporte saw him enter the sprint in pole position, with him outsprinting Jordi Meeus who had a strong finale. “In the final corner, I lost a bit of momentum and Christophe’s wheel. The road surface was a bit slippery, but fortunately, it ended well. I am happy that I was able to finish it off today".
Wout Van Aert had reasons to smile at the end of the fifth day at the Vuelta a España
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Wout Van Aert loses his sunglasses during stage 5
The Belgian rode into the intermediate sprint's second position on the day, behind the attacker Ethan Hayter who anticipated the peloton. Whilst he did not fight for any of the sprint wins so far, Van Aert is the option for the green jersey - which he led in 2024 before abandoning the race.
In a good mood, he had a non-race issue in mind after crossing the line this Tuesday afternoon. “Very unfortunate. I got a new pair of glasses just before the race. At a certain point, they weren't sitting very securely on my head, and when I looked back, they flew off," he explained.
"I’m not like Tadej Pogacar, who gets a new pair of glasses every day. If anyone finds my glasses, please bring them back,” the Paris-Roubaix winner joked.
On his end, the task on the day - aside from the intermediate sprint points - was to keep the Briton safe during the crosswinds phase of the race, and cover for late attacks. He has done so successfully, before riding to 11th place at the finish line.
“When you have Matthew behind you in a group like that, he is always the best card to play," he assures. "I don't even need to watch the replay to see how impressively he finishes it".
Whilst Van Aert himself still hasn't neared a win, he's had an important role in the team's two stage wins out of five opportunities. “This comes very close to winning myself," he concluded.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- That was Fortunato, KOM favourite (of the breakaway riders)
Rafionain-Glas26-08-2026 - Yet your current president Nataša Pirc Musar was Melania Trumps lawyer, lol. You are conflicted beta male.
ScottG26-08-2026 - am i stupid or the report? i saw the video, wout did not ask for the sun glasses, pogi just gave them to his son. wout was authentically surprised ...Ketterechts26-08-2026
- Oh, so you like Pogi. Then I apologize. Yes, I've met him three times in Slovenia, he's my compatriot.PogiSloFans26-08-2026
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- Let's be realistic, did anyone think Remco could win the Tour?MajorPayne26-08-2026
- Remco no ballsabstractengineer26-08-2026
- Why the criticism, Gall can only gain time in the mountain and he will lose big time in the TT. So it is natural that his team to put the pressure on. Pogi is already discounted. If Gall misses the podium by a few seconds and he did not try , it will be too late. He has a strong team, he is using them now, later on ,might be too late.abstractengineer26-08-2026
- this is the guy that made unsubstantiated claims of Bora riders bullying him as a reason to leave the team. and then after signing him, Visma couldn't seem to let him out the door soon enough. Movistar should have known.mij26-08-2026
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