“It’s actually sweeter than a win” - Matthew Brennan sacrifices fourth Vuelta stage chance to deliver Wout van Aert victory
Cycling
Matthew Brennan has already won three stages at the 2026 Vuelta a Espana, but the 21-year-old admitted helping Wout van Aert finally take his own victory felt even sweeter after sacrificing the chance to chase a fourth on Stage 13.
Brennan played a decisive role in Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s victory in Loja, repeatedly closing attacks from the nine-man front group before Van Aert launched the move that ultimately carried him clear with Valentin Paret-Peintre.
“Proper racing that, wasn’t it?” Brennan told Eurosport after the finish. “We wanted to try and get as many guys up front as we could and I thought I was probably the best candidate to do that. I wouldn’t say I’m cannon fodder, but there’s stronger guys behind me, let’s say, so I got in the break.”
The Brit had made the enormous 43-rider escape and later reached the decisive front selection, where his presence presented a problem for rivals already wary of his finishing speed. “I don’t think I was very popular in that breakaway, but I knew I had a superstar behind me and the team working at full gas to put him in the best situation possible.”
Brennan takes control for Van Aert
Once Van Aert bridged across late in the stage, Visma suddenly had two riders in a front group containing Finn Fisher-Black, Kevin Vermaerke, Leo Bisiaux, Paret-Peintre, Simon Dalby, Vincenzo Albanese and Jarno Widar.
Brennan then repeatedly took responsibility for moves rather than sitting back and protecting his own sprint. “When we got to the top of the climb, I knew this is what we had to do and we had to take ownership of the race,” he explained. “And that's what we did immediately. I think we put a lot of pressure on the other guys.”
Bisiaux and Dalby were among those to try to break clear inside the final kilometres, with Brennan helping bring the attacks back before Van Aert made his decisive acceleration with around 3.5 kilometres remaining.
Paret-Peintre was the only rider able to follow. Behind, Brennan's work was done. “I’m quite speechless for Wout,” he said. “I think it's been a long time coming. I think to do that work today for him, it’s actually sweeter than a win. So yeah, chapeau to him and well done everyone in the team.”
“That’s who he is, he’s a superstar”
The satisfaction was heightened by the work Van Aert has already put in for Brennan during this Vuelta.
Their roles have repeatedly shifted according to the stage. Brennan sacrificed himself for Van Aert during the uphill finale on Stage 10, before Van Aert helped his younger teammate towards another victory the following day. On Stage 13, Brennan again had the opportunity to return the favour.
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“It’s special. He’s a super guy and he works super hard and he also puts a lot of work in for myself,” Brennan said. “That’s who he is, he’s a superstar. I’m really happy that I could kind of do my bit to get him the victory that he deserves in this race.”
Van Aert completed that work by beating Paret-Peintre in the two-man sprint in Loja, while Brennan still crossed the line third after spending the closing kilometres shutting down the attacks behind.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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