Matthew Brennan's five Vuelta stage wins set Grand Tour age record

Matthew Brennan has become the youngest rider to win five stages in a single Grand Tour after a breakthrough debut at the Vuelta a España, according to the Guardian. The 21-year-old from Darlington has also become the youngest rider to claim consecutive stage victories, the newspaper reported in an interview published on Saturday.

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His fifth success brought Visma-Lease A Bike's total for this Vuelta to seven stage wins, a team record for a Grand Tour. That surpassed the six victories achieved at both the 2022 Tour de France and this year's Giro d'Italia. Wout van Aert has contributed the team's other two stage wins, with Brennan helping his teammate as well as pursuing his own opportunities.

Brennan's victories came at finishes in Manosque, Roquetes, Lorca, Palos de Frontera and Seville. He told the Guardian that discussions with the team's sporting directors had initially identified 10 possible stages before the list was reduced to five where he would receive full backing. He went on to win each of those five targeted stages.

The first of those successes, on stage two in Manosque, remained his personal highlight. Brennan described that result as confirmation that the preparation had paid off after training camps and two and a half months of buildup. He credited the team with giving him confidence and singled out Van Aert's positioning in race finishes as an important part of their partnership.

Brennan said he and Van Aert had developed an understanding that required relatively little discussion during racing. He also took satisfaction from contributing to the Belgian's two victories. His account of the team's approach emphasised their shared ability to manage the congested, rapidly changing situations that arise when riders compete for position before a sprint.

The results have prompted comparisons with Mark Cavendish, but Brennan told the Guardian that their characteristics differ. While welcoming the association with the British sprint champion, he pointed to his own ability to remain competitive at the finish of stages featuring substantial climbing. The five wins and Visma's seven-stage haul mark concrete achievements from his first Grand Tour, beyond the comparisons surrounding his emergence.