'Better than a normal day job' – Matthew Brennan romps to a second stage win on Vuelta a España stage 5

Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) sprinted to an assured second stage victory in Roquetes Terres de l'Ebre, on stage five of the Vuelta a España.

The Briton, riding his first Grand Tour, said he hoped there would be more to come after winning stage three at the weekend, and he got his wish. With a strong leadout train including Wout van Aert and Christophe Laporte, there was little stopping Brennan, who romped home well ahead of second placed Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe).

GC leader Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) finished comfortably in the bunch, and retained his red jersey, with a 3:21 lead over second-placed Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe). The entire GC top-10, in fact, remained static.

Speaking afterwards, Brennan said: "It's not a bad one. Better than a normal day job. It's fantastic. Second one in the bag, first Grand Tour."

The team had gone all-in for him all day, he said, adding, "I'm very thankful to finish it off again, and I think the boys are also quite relieved."

Asked about his leadout deluxe from Van Aert and Laporte, he said: "It was pretty spot-on to be fair. Wout and Christophe are the best guys you can have in the world for this type of thing, and they supported me all the way into the final. Last corner I lost my wheel a bit – the paint was a little bit slippery. But thankfully I stayed safe. Christophe also felt that a little bit, and managed it really well. So, glad we could finish with the arms in the air.

"I wouldn't say I'm a sprinter," he continued, "but I can climb a little bit and I think on this type of terrain it works really nicely with the support that I have here. Even Stevie [Kruijswijk] and Bruno [Armirail], these guys are just so strong. And when you've got these guys with you, it really gives you the confidence to try and achieve more."

Following a chaotic first few days, with major transfers and an abandoned third stage, the riders entered Spain for the first time today, with this 173.3km outing from Falset Costa Daurada to Roquetes Terres de l'Ebre in southern Catalonia.

Largely flat with a series of hills in the last third and a 20km flat run-in to the finish, a sprint finish was predicted, with many eyes on the imperious-looking Brennan.

An early five-man move included Fredrik Lavik Dversnes (Uno-X Mobility), Walter Calzoni (Pinarello-Q36.5), Mattia Gaffuria (Picnic PostNL) and Diego Uriarte (Kern Pharma), and for a short while Stefan Küng (Tudor Pro Cycling), but it was brought to heel with 100km still to ride.

It was then the turn of solo escapee Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step), who has been caretaking the green points jersey for Pogačar since the start of the race in Monaco. He earned himself the day's combativity prize after 23km mid-stage break, with the bunch bringing him back as the hills appeared on the horizon.

Assertive riding from Visma-Lease a Bike with Brennan in mind ensured that no other significant gaps were opened. It was clear at that point that the Brit was on a good day, and he proved as much at the stage finish.

Vuelta a España 2026, stage five: Falset Costa Daurada > Roquetes Terres de l'Ebre, 173.3km

1. Matthew Brennan (Gbr) Visma-Lease a Bike, in 3:47:02
2. Jordi Meeus (Bel) Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe
3. Vincenzo Albanese (Ita) EF Education-EasyPost
4. Alessandro Romele (Ita) XDS-Astana
5. Axel Laurence (Fra) Netcompany-Ineos
6. Orluis Aular (Ven) Movistar
7. Christophe Laporte (Fra) Visma-Lease a Bike
8. Alberto Dainese (Ita) Soudal Quick-Step
9. Vito Braet (Bel) Lotto Intermarché
10. David González (Spa) Pinarello-Q36.5