"I'm sure the people in the UCI office will have theirs set at 20°C" - Matthew Brennan highly critical of racing at over 40 degrees
Cycling
Matthew Brennan had reasons to celebrate after stage 15 of the Vuelta a España following his teammate Wout Van Aert's victory, but the mood was anything but over the top, after having raced for two and a half hours under 40 degrees celsius.
"Well, I wouldn't do it again, but yeah, on here we have 41°C average," Brennan said in words to Cyclingnews. "So that's the average; when I was on the climb at the start, it was 44°C. At that point, you start thinking, 'what are we doing?'"
The Team Visma | Lease a Bike was active on the final day of the 15th stage, continuing to show good form but suffering in the sweltering temperatures that forced organizers to shorten significantly the stage to Córdoba.
Brennan lashes out at the UCI
However the stage was not cancelled or neutralized because of the conditions, and was still held despite the temperatures being above 40 degrees almost in its entirety.
"You know, a normal office person has to have their temperature set at 20°C or whatever, and I'm sure the people in the UCI office will have theirs set at 20°C," the Briton said, intensely.
"So when we are out there slogging away for their sake, I mean it's not great, but we do it… and that's the show we put on, but I think it wouldn't surprise me if there is a few bodies going home in an ambulance tonight with heatstroke."
Matthew Brennan is critical of racing under such conditions
Visma seeking more victories
The heat hasn't come in the way of Visma's success, with Wout Van Aert rising in form and performing better and better as the race moves on. In the final week both will have opportunities to succeed; whilst stages 16 and 17 will be pan-flat and days where the Dutch team might take Brennan to victory once more.
"Yeah, I do what I do best tomorrow, which is nothing, so I'm looking forward to that. Just lie on my bed, sleep, then the day after come up with a plan". The heat certainly won't come in the way of Visma's plans, as they aim to keep taking wins.
"I think the boys are ready; we've got a lot of motivation from what we are doing, and what stage are we on? 15, so we've picked up a third of victories – why not go for more, why not go for 6 or 7 victories. We'll see what we can do."
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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