Matthew Brennan Sprints to Third Vuelta Stage Win in Lorca

Matthew Brennan claimed his third stage victory at the Vuelta a Espana on Wednesday, winning the sprint at the end of stage 11 in Lorca. BBC Sport reported that the 21-year-old Briton, riding for Visma-Lease a Bike, delivered another victory during his first appearance in a Grand Tour.

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The stage covered 153.8 kilometres from Cartagena to Lorca and was designed largely for the sprinters. Brennan completed the route in three hours, 17 minutes and 18 seconds, finishing ahead of French rider Bryan Coquard of Cofidis and Belgium's Jordi Meeus of Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe. Both challengers were recorded with the same time as the winner.

Brennan raised three fingers after crossing the line, marking a hat-trick of wins in this edition of the race. His earlier victories came on stages two and five. He credited his Visma-Lease a Bike teammates with keeping him correctly positioned and away from trouble during the final 10 kilometres before he completed their work in the sprint.

The result did not dislodge Enric Mas from the top of the general classification. The Spanish Movistar rider retained the red jersey with an aggregate time of 35 hours, 59 minutes and two seconds. Slovenia's Primoz Roglic remains second, one minute and 18 seconds behind, while Austria's Felix Gall is third at one minute and 39 seconds. Britain's Oscar Onley holds fourth place, two minutes and 20 seconds off the lead.

One prominent sprinter did not reach the finish. Lidl-Trek's Mads Pedersen withdrew from the predominantly flat stage because of illness, according to the BBC report. Magnus Cort Nielsen placed fourth in Lorca, with Brennan's teammate Wout van Aert completing the top five.

The character of the race changes again on Thursday. Stage 12 runs for 166.6 kilometres through the mountains from Vera and includes five categorised climbs. The route features two ascents involving Velefique before a summit finish at Calar Alto, shifting the focus from the fast finishers back to the riders contesting the overall standings.