Locking down the future of British cycling! Visma secures Matthew Brennan until 2029 with third new contract in two years
Cycling
Team Visma | Lease a Bike have moved decisively to secure one of British cycling’s fastest rising talents, confirming a new long-term contract for Matthew Brennan that will keep him with the Dutch WorldTeam until at least the end of 2029.
It is the third time in just over two years that Brennan has extended his deal, a striking signal of how highly the team rate his trajectory after a breakthrough first WorldTour season.
At just 20, Brennan has already forced Visma to rewrite expectations. The British rider won twelve professional races during the 2025 campaign and finished the year with fourteen victories in total, a return that underlines why the team were eager to remove any uncertainty about his future.
From development standout to WorldTour certainty
Brennan joined Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s WorldTeam at the beginning of 2025, having spent only one season with the squad’s development setup. The step up proved seamless. He opened his season by winning his first two races, added a stage at the Giro NextGen and stood on the podium at the Circuit de Wallonie, before continuing to climb the competitive ladder as the year progressed.
Visma themselves acknowledge that his calendar was repeatedly adjusted as his level became impossible to ignore. Brennan picked up wins alongside the development team at the Tour des 100 Communes and GP de la Ville de Lillers, before claiming victories at .Pro level in the GP de Denain and at WorldTour level in the Volta a Catalunya. The result was a season that finished well beyond initial projections.
“Matthew has really surprised us in a positive way this season,” said Head of Racing Grischa Niermann in an official press release. “Of course, we already knew him well, because he came through our own ranks. As a team, we constantly adapted to his level and offered him races and challenges tailored to him.”
Niermann was careful to stress that the long contract is about development rather than instant stardom. “He has made big steps in his development this season, but still has a lot to learn. We see working with him as a long term project, and that is why we are so happy that he feels the same way. In the coming years, we want to help him take the step to the highest level in cycling. He may continue to surprise us.”
Matthew Brennan is widely regarded as the future of British Cycling
Trust, stability and time to grow
Brennan’s own words mirror that measured approach. Rather than setting out specific ambitions or targets, he focused on environment and trust as the key reasons for committing his future so early.
“The environment in this team is so unique: it is partly thanks to the team that I have already been able to develop myself so much,” Brennan said. “Everyone can help me become a better rider, both the staff and the other riders. And on top of that, I feel the trust I need here. I am happy here and very grateful for the opportunity to take the next steps in my career over such a long period and without pressure.”
For Visma, the extension fits neatly into a familiar pattern. The team have repeatedly shown a willingness to invest early and heavily in riders they believe in, prioritising continuity and gradual progression over short term hype. For Brennan, the deal offers something just as valuable: time.
After a 2025 season that exceeded expectations at every level, the message from both rider and team is clear. The results have come quickly, but the plan remains patient, controlled and firmly focused on the long term.
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.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
Loading
What happens when a 19-year-old Paris-Roubaix debutant knocks on Wout van Aert’s door the morning of the race? 🎙️📺 Watch or listen to Inside the Beehive PODCAST The Off-Season Tapes with Matthew Brennan on our Youtube or podcast channels. youtube.com/watch?v=-_qQWD…
Write a comment