"Wout was really keen to kind of do that" - Van Aert set up perfect Visma tactic for Matthew Brennan's first Grand Tour win
Cycling
Winning a stage in a Grand Tour is already something that not many pro riders manage to achieve during their career. Matthew Brennan has managed to do so on the very first road stage that he has competed in. The merit comes from Wout Van Aert's late attack, but above all the Briton's ability to climb and sprint in what was a very explosive finale.
Perfect tactic by Visma earns Brennan the win
In the opening time trial Brennan had already proved is good form, finishing 16th in a course where the sprinters didn't feature towards the front. The red jersey was out of sight, but the stage win was not. But that required not only a plan, but execution.
Spectacularly, Team Visma | Lease a Bike achieved this with perfection in the race's first finale in France. "Started off with the ambition of Wout getting in the red jersey today. We said 'ok, there's a nice opportunity to attack in the final'. Wout was really keen to kind of do that," the 21-year old said in a post-race interview.
"We had that plan and I was always going to be in the background to do the sprint in case that kind of sat up. And that's exactly what happened".
Wout Van Aert attacked, was followed by Tadej Pogacar, and then the two sat up as the red jersey didn't look to cooperate. But that move might have taken out the sting from the UAE rider, who looked to be the main rival for Brennan in hindsight.
"The guys sat up in front, Christophe did a great job guiding me through the hecticness of that, and we finished it off".
Matthew Brennan's win over the likes of Pogacar and Pedersen
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Brennan might aim for green jersey
Brennan has achieved this in his first opportunity, in what was his first stage in a Grand Tour outside of this Saturday's time trial. "Hopefully it's not the last one, because it's nice. Again, the boys worked all day really well. They really gave it 100%, believed in both of us so we could achieve something successful today and I'm really happy to start off this way".
Brennan has net 30 points in the fight for the green jersey. He lays behind Tadej Pogacar, but ahead of both Wout Van Aert and Mads Pedersen. With the advantage in the flat bunch sprints, he could end up being Pogacar's own big rival in the fight for the classification.
Visma so far, are having an ideal start to the Vuelta. "Yeah I mean, it's working so far. When the boys can kind of facilitate that and allow me to be able to show myself a little bit, I can't be more thankful".
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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