'This season has been pretty incredible' – British breakthrough star Matthew Brennan wins Tour of Britain stage 3

Twenty-year-old Matthew Brennan continued his breakthrough season on Thursday, earning his 12th pro win of the year on stage three of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men.

The Visma-Lease a Bike rider’s team-mate Olav Kooij, who won the opening two stages, turned provider on day three, leading out the Brit to sprint in Ampthill.

So fast was Brennan’s acceleration that he afforded himself a second to sit up in his saddle and punch the air as he crossed the line. Alberto Dainese (Tudor Pro Cycling) finished second, with Rui Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) third.

“It was always the plan,” Brennan said afterwards. “[My team] said, ‘We can’t have you going to your home race and not try and win something.’ To be given this opportunity, especially when Olav is leading, is really special and I’m really thankful for that.”

After graduating from Visma's development arm this year, Brennan has enjoyed a rapid rise through the pro ranks, winning his first WorldTour races and beating the sports best sprinters. “It’s fantastic,” he reflected on his first pro year. “This season has been pretty incredible so far, so to keep winning towards the end of the season as well has been really nice.”

Brennan’s victory takes him to second in the general classification at the Tour of Britain, behind his team-mate Kooij. Speaking to Cycling Weekly ahead of the race, the 20-year-old revealed he had GC ambitions for his debut.

“It’d be nice to get a stage win,” he said – a box he has now ticked – “and then each day we’ll kind of just assess where we are on GC. If GC looks like an option, we’ll push for that.”

“We’ll give it a try,” he added. “There’s no harm in trying, is there? We’ll just see what happens. If I’m up there, I’m up there, if I’m not, oh well.”

Thursday’s third stage of the Tour of Britain brought the last of a triptych of flat days, before the hills arrive.

Leading the GC, Visma-Lease a Bike were forced to do the lion’s share of the pulling in the peloton throughout the 122.8km stage into Bedfordshire. The Dutch squad barely allowed the breakaway as much as a minute’s lead, as four riders, including Great Britain’s Ben Chilton, ploughed ahead up the road.

An acceleration by Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) in the peloton with around 10km to go eventually put paid to the breakaway’s foray. The lead-out trains then assembled, with Kooij swapping duties with Brennan in the finale.

“We had a plan to turn it around for today, and I was happy to do my job and deliver him in a good way,” Kooij said. “We knew in the first three stages we would definitely have a good shot. The rest of the week is a bit harder, so we will see.”

The six-day race continues on Thursday with its first uphill finish in Burton Dassett Country Park. “I think there’s going to be fireworks tomorrow,” stage winner Brennan smiled.

Results

Tour of Britain stage three: Milton Keynes > Ampthill (122.8km)

1. Matthew Brennan (GBr) Visma-Lease a Bike, in 2:35:45
2. Alberto Dainese (Ita) Tudor Pro Cycling
3. Rui Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
4. Hugo Hofstetter (Fra) Israel-Premier Tech
5. Milan Menten (Bel) Lotto
6. Tim Torn Teutenberg (Bel) Lidl-Trek
7. Matevž Govekar (Slo) Bahrain Victorious
8. Tom Crabbe (Bel) Team Flanders-Baloise
9. Olav Kooij (Ned) Visma-Lease a Bike
10. Marc Brustenga (Esp) Equipo Kern Pharma, all at same time

General classification after stage three

1. Olav Kooij (Ned) Visma-Lease a Bike, in 9:48:40
2. Matthew Brennan (GBr) Visma-Lease a Bike, +10s
3. Alberto Dainese (Ita) Tudor Pro Cycling, +14s
4. Tom Crabbe (Bel) Team Flanders-Baloise
5. Mats Wenzel (Lux) Equipo Kern Pharma, both at same time
6. Hugo Hofstetter (Fra) Israel-Premier Tech, +16s
7. Sam Watson (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers, at same time
8. Andreas Stokbro (Den) Unibet Tietema Rockets, +17s
9. Milan Lanhove (Bel) Team Flanders-Baloise, at same time
10. Robin Froidevaux (Sui) Tudor Pro Cycling, +18s