Brennan Makes History With Fifth La Vuelta Stage Win

DOS HERMANAS > SEVILLE (September 9, 2026) – Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) secured back-to-back victories to kick-start the final week of La Vuelta, ruling the sprint in Seville a day after winning at La Rábida. At just 21, the British sprinter claimed his fifth stage victory on his La Vuelta debut, becoming the first rider since Eddy Planckaert to achieve the feat. The last rider to win five stages in his maiden Grand Tour was Fons De Wolf at La Vuelta in 1979.

Brennan got the better of Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility), two of the most consistent sprinters of La Vuelta 26. Thursday’s individual time trial offered a sharp change of focus, with the race’s powerhouses battling for the stage win and the general classification contenders testing their strength ahead of the final two mountain stages.

Brennan talked about how Visma didn’t want to repeat the mistakes of 2024,

“We discussed this morning the sprint in Seville in Seville in La Vuelta 24 and what went wrong for Wout van Aert (2nd that day). We didn’t want to repeat that today. We wanted to cross the line first, we did, and he was there by my side the whole way. It was fantastic to see and I’m very thankful for the support.

It’s fantastic to win here. We’re a long way into this race now and we knew we had another chance today. The team pulled full. We did everything in our power to make the best of this opportunity. It’s seven victories now. This is the most we have ever won in the team in a Grand Tour. Five stage wins is crazy. And we’re not even on stage 21 yet! It’s incredible. I feel like I just do the easy part; the guys are working hard all day. I’m forever grateful for that.”

Stage 17 covered 185 kilometers on mostly flat roads between Dos Hermanas and Seville, with barely 1,000 meters of elevation gain. It was another opportunity for the sprinters before the race turned toward its decisive final stages.

Two Attackers Against Visma-Lease a Bike

Three riders quickly escaped the peloton: Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ United), Fredrik Dversnes (Uno-X Mobility) and Sinuhé Fernandez (Burgos Burpellet BH). Dversnes soon returned to the bunch, leaving Paleni and Fernandez to continue at the front.

The gap reached 4 minutes, 30 seconds at kilometer 18 before beginning to fall. Visma-Lease a Bike was the first team to react, with Brennan seeking a fifth stage victory on his debut Grand Tour.

The Pace Dropped Before Tension Increased

With Bryan Coquard taking turns at the front of the peloton, the gap stabilized between three and three-and-a-half minutes. The pace then dropped midway through the stage, allowing Paleni and Fernandez to extend their advantage to 5 minutes, 10 seconds with 90 kilometers remaining.

Steven Kruijswijk (Visma-Lease a Bike) returned to the front of the peloton, and the gap steadily decreased. Tension increased with 50 kilometers remaining when Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe accelerated. The peloton briefly split, but the race quickly settled down, with Visma-Lease a Bike and Cofidis returning to the front.

Cort Opened the Sprint, Brennan Finished It

After a long day in the wind, Fernandez was dropped from the breakaway and Paleni continued alone with 20 kilometers remaining. The French rider fought to stay clear but was caught with 3 kilometers to go.

Paleni enjoyed his full day, full out breakaway,

“I enjoyed it. It wasn’t necessarily part of the plan this morning. I was supposed to stay with the pack and see if a big group broke away. In the end, there were three of us, and a rider from Uno-X [Fredrik Dversnes] immediately dropped back, so it ended up being just the two of us [with Sinuhé Fernandez]. We had to manage the situation. We rode as a pair almost as if we were training: taking it easy until the final hour, and then at the end we gave it our all to try and play with the peloton. I think they eased off a bit midway through the race. That allowed us to gain two minutes for free, and it really worked in our favour.

I rode the last fifteen kilometres on my own. It felt a bit long. But you have to fight right to the end because a victory in a Grand Tour is something you have to earn. I was caught three kilometres from the finish. That happens often. But I enjoyed it.

I’m certain it’ll work out one day. If I don’t believe in it, nobody else will believe in me. Every time, I believe in it, and I try to come up with the right strategy to maximise my chances.”

Uno-X Mobility took control of the peloton for Magnus Cort, but the Danish rider could not match Brennan in the final sprint. Brennan took the victory ahead of Meeus and Cort.

The win gave Brennan his fifth stage victory of La Vuelta 26 and his second consecutive stage win. Cort finished third for another podium, but Brennan once again proved fastest when it mattered most.

The sprinters’ opportunity in Seville was followed by a very different challenge. Thursday’s individual time trial shifted the spotlight to the riders fighting against the clock and the general classification contenders preparing for the final mountain showdowns.

Jerseys: 

• Red Jersey — General Classification: Enric Mas (Movistar)
• Green Jersey — Points Classification: Wout van Aert (Team Visma–Lease a Bike)
• Polka-Dot Jersey — Mountains Classification: Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious)
• White Jersey — Young Rider Classification: Oscar Onley (Netcompany Ineos)

Stage 17 Results:

General Classification after Stage 17: