“We didn’t want to repeat that today” - Wout van Aert corrects 2024 Sevilla mistake as Matthew Brennan delivers record seventh Visma Vuelta win
Cycling
Wout van Aert helped turn the lessons of his 2024 defeat in Sevilla into a record-breaking seventh Vuelta a Espana stage victory for Team Visma | Lease a Bike as Matthew Brennan continued his extraordinary Grand Tour debut. Brennan defeated Jordi Meeus and Magnus Cort to collect his fifth win of the 2026 race.
The result moved Visma beyond the six victories that had previously represented the team’s best return from a single Grand Tour. Brennan has now won every bunch or reduced sprint he has contested during the Vuelta.
Van Aert had finished second on the same Sevilla arrival two years earlier after launching too soon and being passed by Pavel Bittner. That sprint was studied before Stage 17, although the race did not ultimately follow the scenario Visma had prepared.
“In the meeting, we could speak about the final straight a bit more than usual because I’ve been here,” Van Aert said after the stage. “But I think it was a completely different sprint.”
Visma avoids repeat of 2024 defeat
Brennan and Van Aert had discussed what went wrong in 2024 before the start in Dos Hermanas. The objective was to avoid placing their sprinter at the front too early on the broad, exposed approach beside the Guadalquivir.
“We didn’t want to repeat that today,” Van Aert explained. “It was not the lead-out we had predicted. I had to do a few efforts before, and all I could do was bring Matthew in a good wheel to do his sprint.”
Steven Kruijswijk and Bruno Armirail spent long periods controlling Enzo Paleni and Sinuhe Fernandez, whose advantage briefly reached 5:15 when the sprint teams hesitated over responsibility for the chase.
Paleni dropped Fernandez with 15 kilometres remaining and continued alone towards Sevilla, but Armirail helped reduce his advantage before Uno-X Mobility completed the catch with three kilometres to go.
Visma’s planned lead-out was further disrupted when Ivo Oliveira attacked with four kilometres remaining. Van Aert responded to the UAE Team Emirates – XRG rider before Uno-X moved its entire train forward for Cort.
The Norwegian team led beneath the flamme rouge, giving Brennan the wheel he needed without forcing Visma back to the front. The 21-year-old launched with approximately 300 metres remaining and beat Meeus, Cort, Alessandro Romele, Steffen De Schuyteneer and Axel Laurance. Visma therefore secured on the same Sevilla finish that had denied Van Aert in 2024, this time through the teammate he had helped position for the sprint.
Van Aert and Armirail target win number eight
Brennan’s victories in Manosque, Roquetes, Lorca, La Rabida and Sevilla have combined with Van Aert’s successes on Stages 13 and 15 to give Visma seven wins from the opening 17 stages. “For our team, a seventh victory in a Grand Tour is already history,” Van Aert said. “We are super proud of that achievement.”
The record could be extended immediately in the Stage 18 individual time trial. Van Aert identified himself and Armirail as possible contenders on the largely flat 32.1-kilometre route between El Puerto de Santa Maria and Jerez de la Frontera. “I think it’s possible, but you never know,” he said. “It’s a long time trial. I think with me and Bruno maybe we have a chance.”
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Van Aert has devoted less attention to time trials since taking Olympic bronze in Paris in 2024, but increased his work in the discipline before the opening stage in Monaco.
“I have not been focusing on time trials for the last two years, let’s say, but I’ve picked it up a little bit because of the opening time trial in Monaco,” he explained. “So with good form, I’d like to give it a try.”
Visma will start Stage 18 with seven victories shared between Brennan and Van Aert. Success for either Van Aert or Armirail in Jerez would extend the team record to eight with three stages remaining.
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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