Vuelta a Burgos: Matthew Brennan triumphs in sprint finish

Matthew Brennan ( Visma-Lease a Bike ) took an authoritative victory on the Alto del Castillo in the first stage of the Vuelta a Burgos , giving the Dutch team a sensational one-two thanks also to Ben Tulett's second place on the final, tricky ramp.

The British Visma duo relied on their teammates for much of the 165-kilometer stage, tasked with closing the gap on a four-man breakaway that was only caught in the final 2 kilometers. This meticulous work allowed Brennan and Tulett to be in ideal condition for the short but tough final climb to the finish line in northern Spain.

Marc Brustenga ( Equipo Kern Pharma ) tried a coup by attacking 800 metres from the summit, but his attempt quickly fizzled out, as he was caught at high speed by the chasing group.

Tulett led the way for Brennan until the final 200 meters, where the 20-year-old Briton launched his decisive attack, sprinting to his sixth win of the season. Behind him, Tulett held off the comeback of Laurence Pithie (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), completing a fantastic one-two for the Dutch team.

The day's breakaway, consisting of Josh Burnett (Burgos Burpellet BH), Javier Ibáñez (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), Valentin Ferron (Cofidis), and Unai Aznar (Euskaltel-Euskadi), broke away after just 10 km of racing. Visma-Lease a Bike shouldered the bulk of the chase, then joined by Ineos and Lidl-Trek in the final kilometers, when the leaders still had a 30-second advantage. However, that gap quickly evaporated in the final 2 km, paving the way for the bunch sprint on the climb.

"Happy, but also quite relieved. I think there was a lot of hard work, and especially today the team really showed they believed in me, it was nice to see and I'm really happy it paid off," Brennan said at the end of the stage.

"Let's start with Steven Kruijswijk, who was out there pretty much alone the whole day, pushing from start to finish to keep the breakaway at bay, then the other guys took over and kept me in a position where I didn't have to worry about anyone trying to pass me," added the Visma rider.

"I arrived at the bottom of the climb in a great position, and from there to the top I was still well protected – Ben was there with me too – then I had to attack from that corner. I had a lot of confidence in my sprint so I'm really happy that it went well."

The Vuelta a Burgos continues on Wednesday with the second stage, a more rolling and mountainous stage that should favor the top riders in the general classification heading towards Pineda de la Sierra. For fantasy cycling, keep an eye on Brennan, who should return to the spotlight later in the week as he prepares for the Vuelta a España, where he'll ride alongside Wout van Aert.

"I'm not sure," Brennan replied when asked about his ambitions for the remaining four stages of the race. "I came here with open ambitions. I haven't had exactly the year I wanted, but we went on a training camp with all the guys, and we have the Vuelta on our minds after this race. I think our intention is to stick to our main goals, try to win where we can, help our teammates where we can, and if we can achieve more, that's a bonus."

Top 10 Ranking - Stage 1

1. Matthew Brennan (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) 3:35:54

2. Ben Tulett (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) +0:00:00

3. Laurence Pithie (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) +0:00:00

4. Jordan Labrosse (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) +0:00:00

5. Bjoern Koerdt (Team Picnic PostNL) +0:00:00

6. Dylan Teuns (Cofidis) +0:00:00

7. Léo Bisiaux (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) +0:00:00

8. Milan Vader (Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) +0:00:00

9. Bastien Tronchon (Groupama-FDJ United) +0:00:00

10. Luca Van Boven (Lotto-Intermarché) +0:00:00