"Olav dropped me off perfectly" - Matthew Brennan switches roles with Olav Kooij to win Visma's third stage in a row
Cycling
Team Visma | Lease a Bike makes it three in a row at the Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain. After two victories for Olav Kooij, this time his younger team mate Matthew Brennan was given an opportunity and he didn't hesitate. With a powerful lead-out from overall leader Olav Kooij, Brennan convincingly delivered on a lumpy finish, winning the sprint with multiple bike lengths ahead of Alberto Dainese (Tudor Pro Cycling) and Rui Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates - XRG).
"This is amazing. It’s already been a fantastic season so far, and to keep winning these past weeks is really special," said Brennan on a team website after the third stage.
The stage from Milton Keynes didn't offer too much elevation gain on paper, however the finish in Ampthill was more challenging than it would seem with undulated final kilometers, it was a perfect opportunity for a versatile sprinter such as Brennan.
"It was a hectic finale today, with lots of riders fighting for position. We managed to move up with our train at just the right time. I was in Olav’s wheel, and he dropped me off perfectly at the line. It’s an incredible win," Brennan says. "I’m really grateful to the team for giving me this opportunity to go for a stage win in my home country, especially with a leader like Olav in our team."
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Sports director Marc Reef is proud: "It’s really impressive to capitalise on the first three opportunities in this race. Of course, we know we have two strong sprinters with Olav and Matthew. It’s great to see all the hard work from the team being rewarded like this."
Olav Kooij
The winner of first two stages Olav Kooij switched roles with Brennan for the third stage, this time with the Dutchman leading out his British teammate. While Brennan left no room for doubts with a dominant sprint victory, Kooij himself cruised across the finish line comfortably in a 9th place on the day, successfully defending his overall lead with three more stages to cover.
Olav Kooij can be happy with how is the Tour of Britain going so far for him and his team
But with notably more elevation across the remaining stages, it seems unlikely that the 24-year-old Dutchman can defend the leader's jersey in front of a pack of much stronger climbers.
"We knew the opening three days would present us good opportunities for stage wins, and we’ve made the most of them. The rest of the week will be harder. Tomorrow’s finish will be more of a punchy one, so we’ll make another plan for that,"
Already tomorrow's stage from Atherstone to Burton Dassett could see the leader's jersey change owner with an explosive final circuit that is certain to see fireworks of attacks. A day that fits the likes of Matthew Brennan much better than Kooij.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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